The Crash
by Samantha Minuet
Summary: What if Edward hesitated for the sake of his family, and Tyler hit Bella with his van instead of Edward intervening? What would happen to her, and how would it change everything afterwards. This is a divergent AU story that tries to answer that question. Bella/Edward, canon ships except for Angela.
1. Chapter 1

**_What if Edward hesitated for the sake of his family, and Tyler hit Bella with his van instead of Edward intervening? What would happen to her, and how would it change everything afterwards. This is a divergent AU story that tries to answer that question. Bella/Edward, canon ships except for Angela._**

Title: **The Crash**  
Rating: **Teen** - Some violence, sexual references, and occasional course language  
Genres: **Drama**, **Suspense**, **Romance**, **Family**  
Relationships: **Bella/Edward**  
Canon Status: **Alternate Universe** (Divergent from the car crash in **Twilight**)

_Copyright Notice: This story uses characters and locations owned by Stephenie Meyer and Little Brown. I have no claim of ownership, and have no interest in reproducing this story contained in the following chapters for personal gain. So no Copyright Infringement is intended... so there!_

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**One: Facing the Pain**

_(Bella POV)_

I know I should've died that day, despite the fact that Doctor Cullen worked on me for close to thirty hours. I can say with absolute certainty, that it was only because of his unshakable resolve that I pulled through. Still, I lost the use of my legs, and my right arm. Later, I was told that I died three times on his table. Every time I died, it was because my heart stopped.

Unfortunately, ever since that day I have lived with pain. This debilitating, piercing, and seemingly permanent pain, was the kind of thing that people hear about and silently praise god for not inflicting them with it. Yet somehow I managed to adjust to it. I guess it took a little while for my body to acclimate to the large number of drugs I had to take every day. Still the pain could be felt, even through the fog of drugs. It felt like a tiger pacing back and forth over my back, constantly digging his nails in just when I started to feel a reprieve.

For me it seemed like in a single moment of fate I had gone from the curious outsider, to the token cripple. I was out of classes for almost two months, and when I finally re-entered the masses the other students didn't stop staring. In a way the stares got worse, except they no longer looked at me as a vaulted curiosity, instead I was a pitiable one.

Then two weeks after I began to wheel around the grounds of Forks High, Edward Cullen took a bizarre interest in me. Almost as if he had decided to adopt me as his pet project. Externally I accepted his help and tried to be gracious about his interest in me. But inside I resented this perfect boy pushing me around the halls and waiting on me hand and foot. Every time I looked at him I flashed to the day the van hit me.

From across the parking lot I could see his eyes, and they were glorious. They were like undulating topaz stretched over a whirlpool of infinite beauty. Yet there was something in them that said I wasn't paying attention to the right thing. Less than a split second later I noticed the van spinning wildly towards me. I woke up a week later in a hospital bed. My father was snoring in a chair across the room, and my mother was sitting awkwardly with her head resting on my bed. They were both here, it had to be bad. I was seriously fuzzy, and all I could remember were those topaz eyes staring at me with an overwhelming level of intensity. I tried to remember more and all I could conjure was his expression, and how it seemed like a shadow of his normal face twisted into a mask of fury and horror.

I tried to sit up, but I couldn't, I was strapped in from the waist down. I wanted to get up, but when I tried to unbuckle the belt at my waist I realized my right arm wouldn't move. I felt rage and fear well up inside of me, a stupid accident and I'd been paralyzed. Was this permanent? I frantically searched for the nurse call button, and hit it repeatedly until the young woman entered my room at a run.

She muttered an "oh my god. I'll call the doctor right away." Then she leaned outside of my room door and picked up a phone to page my doctor. After that she steadied herself and walked over to my side, adjusting her outfit and touching her hair slightly as she walked. As she reached me Rene started to stir, the next several minutes were a blur as my mother awoke and instantly went manic. Then the Doctor was in the room, and he quickly shooed my parents out. Dr. Cullen was gorgeous just like his adoptive children, and shared their unique eyes. I was momentarily speechless as I looked into his perfect face.

"You should've died. I'm not usually prone to platitudes, but it must've been fate that pulled you through, or a miracle. I worked on you for twenty-nine hours and thirty-seven minutes. Well in total. I managed to mitigate the damage to your kidneys and liver. I also fixed your heart as best I could; however, there is a touch of irony there. You had a minor arrhythmia that could've become problematic later in life. In that respect I increased your life expectancy by a decade. But I couldn't save your legs, the damage to your spine was simply too severe. Also there was some damage to your central nervous system, lungs, and upper gestural intestinal track that I couldn't fully repair. With several more surgeries you could regain function to your right arm. Additionally you will likely live a good amount of time, if I can fix some of the issues that I couldn't while you were unstable. But I don't want to lie to you. You will likely have some pain, how much I can't be sure of. But we'll try to manage your medications to suit your needs. Do you have any questions?"

"Will I ever walk again?" There was too much information to absorb. I had trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that I was a permanent cripple.

"No, you will be in a wheel chair for the remainder of your life. And you will have to be given a special automatic chair because you won't be able to operate a manual one until we can fix your arm." He was precise but compassionate. I could tell it was killing him to have to break this kind of news to me. The rest was faded like a bad dream. The second he told me I was bound to a chair for the rest of my life I knew I would never be worthy of Edward. It was a strange thing to be upset about when so many other things were more important. But living up to an unachievable standard, to be even remotely in Edward Cullen's league was a pathetic pipe dream before when I could walk and be his equal. Afterwards there was simply no hope or dream that could make it a possibility.

Still there was something about him that I couldn't resist. Perhaps it was a phantom hope, like a vestigial limb that still retained feeling even after amputation. What made matters worse was his platonic insistence on insinuating himself in every faucet of my life. With an utterly morbid level of irony his choice to be my nurse had the irritating side-effect of leaving me perpetually in a state of social isolation.

Not that I was a social butterfly before, but now only a couple people even talk to me for more than a couple of minutes. Edward is ever present, barely leaving my side when I'm not in class. Nearly as constant is his perky and perfect sister Alice who treats me like a sister. Then, of course, there's Angela my best friend.

From the first day of my return she was there, and never once did she look at me like a cripple. In fact she didn't change her attitude towards me at all. She simply supported me, and challenged me out of the deep self-imposed funk that I had fallen into. She helped to lift me out of my disability, and forced me to think of it as just another aspect of my life, and not as a hindrance.

In a way I owe Angela more than anyone else in my life. Charlie has been nothing but supportive, but in a very real way he treats me like an invalid. Then there is Rene, my scattered brained flake of a mother who left Phil and got an apartment in downtown Forks. But I couldn't be angry with her; she did it because she loved me more then she cared about herself. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I had come to Forks originally so that she could have a life. So I spend half my time at her place when I'm not in school. The other half I spend with Charlie.

Renee isn't as open about making sure I don't exert myself, but neither of them act the same around me as they did before the accident. I suppose I should also mention Tyler who is sweet but is kind of a nuisance. He's so utterly racked by guilt that he follows Edward and I around like a little lost puppy. When Edward doesn't beat him to the punch he carries my books, not that I want either of them to.

This odd situation has been frustrating, and painful. My daily trips to the physical therapist have partially rehabilitated my right arm, but I still can't even wiggle my toes. As time marched on in this surreal state of limbo I felt a great weight growing as my birthday approached like a grim reaper. Two weeks before my eighteenth birthday and I felt like I was standing in the threshold of adulthood. Deep in my soul I felt a desperate need to reconcile my hatred for a life that in most ways was taken from me, with the paradoxical feeling of hope I felt every time I was with Edward.

Then one rainy afternoon came the bizarre call from Dr. Cullen. Carlisle spoke quickly and passionately about a possible solution. He wanted to perform a radical surgery that might restore partial or complete functionality to my legs and arm. Although the conversation was short I felt a quizzical need to keep it a secret. So when he invited my parents to his office to explain the surgery they were surprised and confused. Dr. Cullen picked up on my irrational need for privacy almost immediately and never revealed that he had told me first about the treatment.

The surgery was scheduled and no one but Angela remarked that it would occur the day before my eighteenth birthday. If it worked I would technically be able to walk before I was an official adult. It felt like a beacon of hope, but it was a hope I refused to buy into completely. Somewhere buried under the elation and the growing excitement was seed of irrational doubt deep in the pit of my stomach. It was a fear that couldn't be completely repressed, and I wasn't sure what that fear was.

Charlie had unpacked my chair with a grunt, and I slid as gracefully into it as I could he smiled at me. Then with a hug and a light kiss on the cheek he got quickly back into the van. As he drove away I could see his goofy grin return. It had been plastered on his face ever since he signed the consent forms. It took almost two hours of convincing to get him to sign; Dr. Cullen was very patient with his endless questions, but in the he signed. I looked towards the school and took a deep breath, careful not to inhale too quickly for fear of falling into another coughing spasm.

The morning was cold and dreary, even more so then usual. It felt like an omen, so I closed my eyes and forced out the depression that was trying to overwhelm me. The fear was growing, and the frustrating unknown nature of it was driving me a little insane. Then I looked up and I saw Edward standing next to his car, he was positioned just like he was the day that his eyes were burned into my memory on the edge of searing pain. Suddenly the fear took shape; I wouldn't be able to hide from him anymore. I wouldn't be the cripple anymore. Then I would know once and for all if he liked me, or just felt sympathy for me. Maybe he blamed himself for distracting me that day.

It was almost too much to handle, but I managed to get a hold of my nerves. The rest of the day was almost impossible, and if Ang hadn't been there I probably would've rolled home at lunch. But instead that's when I told them all. The surgery was inevitable, and their reactions were as varied as was each of their personalities. Alice and Angela were positively ecstatic but in different ways. Angela was careful not to express her hope too strongly, resorting to her restrained joy and gentle affection. Alice on the other hand was practically dancing; she was so gleeful that Edward nearly bit her head off to calm her down. Tyler was oddly upset, but he played it off as joy. Edward was angry and shocked, and my world began to crumble around me. His reaction was exactly what I had always feared; he liked the situation as it was and never wanted me to be his equal.

The next day I arrived at the hospital and was shocked to find everyone waiting for me, including Edward's extended family. Alice gave me a hug as the nurse rolled me into the prep room before surgery. Dr. Cullen came in after a few minutes and dismissed the nurse. He looked at me thoughtfully, and sat in a chair a few feet to my right. He took a few deep breaths and then began to speak; his tone was soft and careful as if he was measuring his words with precision.

"I have a rather odd question for you, but it is an important one." He seemed serious, but gave me a hint of his beautiful smile.

"Ok, you can ask me anything." I still had more than a little crush on the gorgeous doctor that saved my life. He smirked a little, and then lowered his head.

"Edward feels bad about the accident still, and he is suffering because of it. In truth there is nothing further I can do for you medically. You will be in that chair for the remainder of your life. And unfortunately I doubt it will be a very long one. Several of your organs were compromised from the impact, and although they haven't failed yet, I fear they will sooner rather than later." I blinked at him; he had never been so pessimistic before.

"What does Edward feel guilty about, if he thinks he distracted me from the van I could never fault him for that. Really there is nothing he could've to prevent the accident. And what on earth does his guilt have to do with my impending death?" Carlisle studied my expression slowly and carefully before responding.

"Without a proper way to explain all I can say is he chose not to save you that day. He made a practical choice, and ultimately a painful one. He has regretted his decision every second of every day since." He sighed slightly as he finished and wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Carlisle, I don't understand. What do you mean?" I felt like a truck had slammed into me again, because as bizarre as the words sounded they had a ring of truth in them. Carlisle shook his head.

"You can't understand, and I wish I could explain what I mean." He paused as if he was debating about continuing the conversation, then resumed abruptly. "The choice is simple, if you say yes I will put you into a coma like state, and at a specific moment I will make sure you seem dead. Afterwards you will be healthy and mobile. And you will never have to worry about being a burden on anyone ever again. If you say no you will stay as you are and you will never see Edward or any of my family ever again."

"No, I mean please don't leave because of me. I won't go through with the surgery" Then his words sunk in and I had to force my brain to work again. "Wait did you say I could walk again?"

"It would have a price, a very high one in fact. You would have to give up your life here, and never look back." He looked at me thoughtfully, and patiently waited for my thoughts on the matter. But there was no thought. My responsibility to my family was too great to simply abandon them.

"Then I guess I'll have to say no." I felt heavy and stupid for saying no. I didn't have to wait long for his reply, but in that brief second my mind screamed at me for a second chance.

"I thought you might, Edward says you are deeply selfless when it comes to the needs of others. But in this case don't think about your family. It will be hard for them, but in a way it will be even harder if you say no. If they think you are dead they could rationalize it, by admitting that you are no longer in the intense pain that I know you are in." I tried not to wince; I thought I had been able to conceal the worst of it from everyone around me.

"It's not that bad, the drugs help." I tried to pad the truth with a white lie. The drugs hadn't been working as well for close to two months. But they already made me so foggy I couldn't imagine upping the dosage.

"I don't need lies, and I don't need padded truth. I need to know if you can live with this, for the few years of pain and misery it will bring to those around you. Ok that may be a little harsh. You could live a decade, perhaps, but in the end you will die and they will miss you." He was absolutely serious, and the weight of his words struck home with me in a way I couldn't understand.

"Are you trying to force me to say yes? What's the point, if this is what you feel is right. I trust you to make that choice for me." I paused and looked into his perfect eyes, which were the same color and shade as his son's. "Dr. Cullen, you saved my life. Even if what you say about Edward is true, your family has given me a lot. I don't know what you want from me or even what you want to do to me. But if you think it will be better than the fractured life I have now… then my answer is yes." I had to take a breath; my lungs weren't prepared for the amount of talking I had to do. He looked at me long and hard, in his golden eyes I could see a fierce debate. I could tell he was torn, I could tell he was unsure of himself. But in an instant all of that frustration melted away and he sighed with resolve.

"Ok, so be it. Welcome to the family Bella. I hope you will like your new life."


	2. Chapter 2

**Two: Moments In-between Silence**

_(Angela POV)_

Six Months Ago...

I was sitting on one of those long wooden and concrete benches when I heard the sound. I paused a second to guess the source of it before I looked up. I figured it was some kind of police raid combined with a couple of giant robot death machines grappling for dominance. When I looked up, I almost laughed because my guess wasn't that far from the truth. Tyler was laying on his horn because he had lost control of his van on the slick rain drenched asphalt, and had spun into the back of Bella's behemoth of a truck. I wasn't too concerned with the damage to her truck, but I knew Tyler's dad would be furious.

But then I noticed the reactions of the students standing nearby, including the stunned and slightly indignant expressions from the Cullen family. Then in a rush everyone seemed to be turning towards the crash. A second later I heard someone scream, and a deeply disturbing thought crossed my mind. I put my finger up to silence Jessica's yammering. If I was right, I didn't care at all if she was offended. I got to my feet, spilling my bag from the low seat to the wet concrete. The clatter of my belongings registered, but didn't matter as I propelled myself towards the crash.

As I practically skidded to a stop, I noticed that no one was really moving. They were just staring into the crevice between the two vehicles. I pushed my way to the front and almost retched when I saw her there. She was unconscious, her legs twisted under her. I felt my brain stop for a moment, but in that split second the first thing that occurred to me was to secure her neck. The last thing she needed was to be paralyzed.

I crawled my way between the twisted metal of the van and the lumbering hulk of the truck to Bella's side. I felt something pass along my right shoulder, but I ignored the mild pain as I gently placed my hands on either side of her head. It was a little awkward, but I managed to keep my balance enough to hold onto her steadily. I felt a little lost once I got there, since I didn't want touch her anywhere else. I really had no idea what I was doing, and I desperately hoped it the right thing. Then her eyes fluttered open, and her mouth began to move.

"Edward" The throaty word was barely audible, but I did hear enough to recognize his name. Then in a delayed reaction, I felt myself pale as I realized that she was regaining consciousness.

"No I don't know where Edward is, it's Angela, please don't try to move. You've been in an accident." I tried to speak calmly, so that she wouldn't panic. But I couldn't even manage to hide the panic from my own voice.

"Edward!" She said a little louder, with quite a bit more coherency. Then she screamed, shrilly and violently. Her eyes flew open fully, and confusion and fear crossed over her dark eyes. I knew that there wasn't anything I could do, especially if she began to convulse. I freaked and yelled at the gawking kids surrounding me to help. I caught motion from Tyler, who was still bleeding from a gash above his right eye. I glanced at everyone else and saw Mike Newton and Ben Chaney backing up ever so slowly. I turned away in disappointment, as my secret crush on Ben was dashed in a second.

"What do I do?" Tyler asked with a touch of genuine innocence. It made me smile at him, but I wasn't sure if his actions weren't just coming from a guilty conscience. He was a little big for the space, but handled himself agilely enough to have some maneuvering room. I looked back down at Bella and her eyes had closed again, she looked almost peaceful. But I couldn't be sure when she might start to move again.

"Hold down her shoulders, but not too hard." He placed his bloody hands on her shoulders, and with a surprisingly gentle touch, held her down. A second later she began to convulse. Except, she only moved her torso and left arm. Her legs and right arm remained completely motionless. I had to stifle a gasp and force my hands to stay in place. I watched in agony for the several seconds she thrashed around. I felt my heart break for her, and when she finally stopped moving I felt a wave of relief.

I looked back up at Tyler who gave me a worried glance. Then I peered back over his shoulder, looking for the EMTs. But all I could see was the faces of the students gathered around the crash. Sure they looked confused, they looked afraid, but they also looked disgusted. It was as if they couldn't really look at her. As if they couldn't see her as a person at all. I wondered what that meant. Then I realized she wasn't coming out of this intact, if she survived. She would be the only person in school in a wheel chair. She would become even more of an outsider than she already was.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I forced myself to feel all the pity and personal fear I could about this situation all at once. I knew she would need me, even if she didn't know it yet. She would need a real friend, who could be there for her no matter what kind of hardships she was going to have to endure. I almost smirked at that, maybe she wouldn't push me away anymore. We'd always had a bit of a connection, at least for me. Kind of an instant kinship, like she was a sister from another family.

But she either didn't know how to make friends, or she was resistant to setting down roots here. I knew she disliked Forks, but I couldn't quite understand why she isolated herself as much as she did. Even Jessica who was technically closest friend, was barely aware of Bella's personal life. What her relationship with her father was, or whether she was seeing Edward. Yet I knew I couldn't be selfish about it, this had to be about her.

Three minutes later the ambulance finally came. The EMTs quickly took over, and had us stay in place as they got a C-Spine collar around her neck. They moved quickly and got Bella secured in their truck. Then they ordered Tyler into the truck as well, and tried to get me to go too. I shook my head, and almost screamed at them to hurry. The EMT frowned and closed the loading doors, before they sped away. Chief Swan's police cruiser pulled up a few seconds after they left the parking lot. But as he got out I was surprised by how neutral his expression was. I realized he didn't know it was Bella that had gotten hurt, which made me wince. Then he looked around and absorbed which two vehicles were involved. I could see the fear enter his eyes, as he frantically looked around the students faces for his daughter. I ran over, unsure of exactly what I was about to say.

"Chief Swan." I said a little plaintively. He looked down at me, and I could see in his lost expression a hint of recognition.

"Ms. Weber? You're friends with Bella right?" I nodded once, than tried to put on my most sympathetic expression. Which didn't take much, since my heart bled for him.

"Yeah, I'm so sorry." His face fell completely, and without any semblance of official restraint he dashed back to his car, nearly knocking over a couple of students in the process. I wanted to take it back, to come up with a better set of words. Instead I found my feet moving towards my old beat up car. Within minutes I was pulling into the guest parking lot at the Forks Community hospital.

The weight of the afternoon hung heavily on my mind. I wasn't sure what to do. The grey day felt strangely hollow, but at the same time it was heightened. I trudged into the emergency waiting room and inquired about Bella at the front desk. The woman behind the desk looked up and blanched, then she quickly stood and led me through the emergency room doors. I hadn't even told her why I was there. Once in the back I could see them working on Bella through a partially closed curtain. Chief Swan was fidgeting, and would occasionally send murderous looks towards Tyler who had a large gauze wrapped around his forehead. The desk lady called a nurse over who quickly sat me down. I looked at her confused, not sure why they were looking at me when they needed to focus on Bella.

"What's your name?" The nurse asked in a friendly, yet slightly condescending tone. I wasn't really paying attention to her though, since I couldn't take my eyes off of Doctor Cullen and his perfect movements as he worked on Bella.

"Angela... Weber. You should help Bella, I'm fine." She frowned at me, and grabbed my right arm and shoulder. I looked down and nearly fainted, the sleeve was drenched in blood. Suddenly the expression the EMT gave me made sense. I hadn't even actively registered the injury, and was a little annoyed to finally feel the sharp throbbing pain dancing across my upper right arm. The gash was semi-deep, and was still seeping after close to ten minutes.

I hadn't realized how much in shock I was, how numb I was until the pain finally filtered through. It was really horrible, but I was so dissociated from it that I couldn't connect the pain with my body. The nurse cut my sleeve off, and cleaned the wound quickly. Another doctor came over and gave me a shot which silenced the angry gash. Then he started to sew me up, which I could easily look away from and focus on Bella. But she was wheeled away after a few minutes. Standing in the debris of bandages and rubber gloves littering the floor where they worked was Doctor Cullen. He looked around, and then came over to me after a few moments. I had been so focused on Bella that I hadn't noticed Chief Swan and Tyler leaving. The sutures were almost finished, as Doctor Cullen took over for the other doctor.

"I have a few minutes before prep, I wanted to talk to you about what happened to Bella. But I need you to tell me how you're feeling first." I blinked at him, and for the first time since the crash I felt like myself.

"Sorry, I guess I still can't believe it. Is she going to be ok?" He frowned and looked down at his work.

"We'll see, I'm cautiously optimistic. I understand you got this while securing her neck?" He asked in a very casual sort of way. It helped calm me down a little, and I managed to finally get my breathing under control. I hadn't realized I was nearly holding my breath.

"Yeah I didn't want her to start convulsing. I don't know much behind basic first aid, but immobilizing the neck is good, right?" I said with a touch of panic. Had I done more harm than good?

"You did fine Ms Weber. She's lucky to have a friend like you." He smiled widely at me as he spoke, then set down the tools he was using to suture up my arm. "All done." I didn't even feel him work, he was so quick and gentle.

"That was... thank you. Please help her, do everything you can. She wasn't moving her legs or right arm when she started to thrash. Does that mean she won't be able to walk?" He clenched his jaw, then shook his head once.

"I'm not sure yet, but I promise I'll do everything I can. Why don't you wait with Chief Swan, he might appreciate the company. He's in the post-op waiting room." He helped me down from the bed, and I headed through the labyrinthine hospital corridors until I finally found the right door. Chief Swan was nursing his right fist. I barely remembered seeing him slug a wall near Tyler in a burst of uncontrolled anger.

"Did you break it?" He looked up startled, and shook his head as he recognized me.

"No, I don't think so. Well, it doesn't matter right now. I shrugged off the nurses wanting to take me to get it x-rayed. But it doesn't hurt so bad." I smiled at him softly, then sat next to him. The torture on his face made my heart break for him. It was impossible to see how hard it was for him to be completely out of control of his daughter's survival.

"I'll wait here, you should get that looked at. I'll find you if there's any news." He looked at me blankly for a moment, then nodded slowly. Tears started to form at the corner of his eyes, and I tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, and lowered his head. Gentle sobs bounced through his chest for a while. Then when he finally stopped he got up and started towards the emergency area. As he reached the exit he turned and gave me an appreciative smile.

"Thank you Angela, for everything." I blushed, not sure how much help I really was. Then nodded once, as he turned again and made his way out. I stood, and began to pace. I knew it would be a while, but I had no idea what to expect. Was she going to make it? Was she going to be able to walk? All the horrible possibilities came flooding through my mind. But after a moment I shook my head, because I knew none of it mattered. I was going to stand by her, whether she wanted me too or not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Three: No Choice**

_(Carlisle POV)_

"I'm not sure how I can be objective about this, and Edward is so locked into his single-minded devotion that I couldn't even begin to talk to him. Bella is a problem, but is she a problem that needs to be solved by us?" I stared at the medical journal I had been reading when Esme came in, and tossed it back on the pile of things I still wanted to do. Esme frowned and thought about how to answer for several seconds before responding.

"Our boy is in love, so yes I think this situation needs to be solved. Because you know what will happen when she passes, we'll lose him forever. I couldn't bare that, I can't even think about it without feeling this dark pressure in my soul. He's always been intense, but I've never seen him like this before." She was right of course. He was so passionate about this girl, that his world would collapse without her. No matter how hard the rest of us would try to support him in his loss. I could see the signs that he had already changed to suit her, which is something our kind does so infrequently.

"That means we don't have a choice. I just wonder if it's selfish of me to inflict this on her, especially without her full understanding?" Her eyebrows twitched up in response, it was obviously something that hadn't occurred to her. I could hear the doubt in my own voice, because I was so unsure of how to move forward. Nothing less than her complete confidence in this action,would compel me to change an innocent life into a creature like us, no matter her circumstances.

"Selfish perhaps, but it's still the right thing to do. There are two lives here, not just Edward's. You've said it yourself, she will probably die within ten years. Those years will likely be lived in constant, debilitating pain. Confined to one of those chairs, and dependant on others to help her with her day to day hygiene. If that were all there is, I would personally consider turning her. But she so obviously loves our son. Honestly, there is no way a human can truly understand us. So it's a choice that she simply cannot make an informed decision about. It's unfortunate that she'll have to leave her family and friends behind. But when you weigh the positives, our venom would fix her problems, and that could almost be looked upon as a gift." She seemed earnest, and I could tell she was partially playing devil's advocate for my sake. It was one of the things I loved about her the most. She understood how my mind worked, and acted as the voice I needed to hear. It's lead to some interesting arguments, but I wouldn't trade a second of my life with her. Was Bella going to be the same for Edward?

"All valid points my love. I guess I already knew this was the choice, I just wish it were hers." I leaned forward and kissed her gently. Her lips were soft, and I could tell she was conflicted as I was. Her enthusiasm for Edward finding Bella was infectious. She already thought of Bella as part of the family. Even if those emotions colored her advice, I needed her to know that I appreciated her. "Thank you." I said as I pulled away from her. She nodded at me, and then lowered her head sighing softly.

"It's possible he won't forgive you for a while. Are you prepared for that? I know how important he is to you." She didn't meet my eyes as she spoke. She was right, and I grimaced at the thought. Realizing that I might lose him either way made me ache, but this was the lesser of two evils. Between losing him for a few decades, or burying his ashes, I would always chose the path of life. I knew it was the selfish part of me that was utterly unwilling to give up my son. I so many ways he was my soul, and I couldn't live without him in the world. This would bring him happiness, I could feel it in my bones. It also helped that Alice was so quietly confident that things would work out. Even though she didn't see the crash coming. She blamed herself, and her gift for that. Maybe this would bring everyone back to a good place. Maybe we could finally move forward with our lives.

"You'll have to run interference for me, and I'll spend as much time as I can at the hospital. I know you have some practice keeping secrets from him, but is that going to be an issue?" She furrowed her brow, and stared at the ceiling for several moments. Finally she nodded, and cracked a melancholy smile.

"It isn't easy, but possible. It helps that he's been focused on her lately." Her expression was concerned but confidant, and it soothed my fears.

"Good. I'm going to my office, it's going to take some careful planning to set up the surgery and recovery after she's declared dead. But I want to speak to Bella first, and then convince her parents it's the right choice. Without at least her partial consent, I won't even consider this. Even so, I'll have to move fast on this one. A single false move and we will have more than Edward to worry about. " I wasn't sure if bring up the Quileute's was a good idea, but they had to be considered.

"Do You mean the wolves? I haven't heard a peep from them since we arrived. Are you sure they even exist anymore?" She said with a touch of worry, she obviously hadn't considered the treaty.

"Yes, but we can't be too careful. They had very specific stipulations regarding our habits. Biting is forbidden, and turning Bella could be construed as an act of war. So we'll leave this place once her change is complete. I'll feel better once we have several thousand miles between us and that tribe." Esme frowned, this time her face wasn't supportive.

"I don't want to leave so soon, I love this place so much." I closed my eyes, I'd forgotten how fond of she was of this house. But I gave her a look that imparted the need to be cautious. She nodded with a touch of defeat, and took a deep breath.

"I'll make the arrangements then, and when the time comes I'll handle Edward." Her frown turned into a resigned smile, and she sighed slightly.

"I love you." I leaned in again, and pressed my lips to hers finding that old familiar comfort. She was my other half, and that connection always strengthened my resolve.

"Even more every day." Her eyes were full of emotion when I pulled away, expressing a thousand thoughts in a single look. I didn't have to hear her voice to know her thoughts, she was an open book to me. Her worry was mixed with a true happiness, brought about with the fact that our family would finally be complete. I couldn't help but smile, because in her heart I knew she had begged god for this. Her quiet faith was a testament to how beautiful she was. If any of us still had our soul, it was my Esme.

I spent the next few weeks researching possible options, and finally settled upon a something that would suit me professionally. My skills were technically finite, or at least my public image limited my actual knowledge. It took some juggling to set up the surgery, specifically convincing my Chief of Staff that the experimental surgery was in the patient's best interest. I manipulated him, and I felt a little dishonest in doing so. He did try to warn me that if I failed, there would potentially be a lawsuit that could ruin my carrier. I tried not to laugh at the irony, that I had no intention of succeeding.

Next I had to set the stage properly. Forming my team, and procuring the proper medications to simulate death in a way that would fool our monitoring equipment. I knew I would have to plant them with the anesthesia, but I had to organize them so that the timing of her death wouldn't look off. Afterwards I mentally rehearsed my performance. I had to appear genuine in my attempts to save her. The only risk was the possibility of damaging her heart. I would have to be very careful not to accidentally kill her. Knowing that I had two lives in my hands, made me feel the pressure acutely.

That afternoon I called the house and spoke to Bella. She was hopeful but restrained in her elation. It didn't take much to guide her into the decision, even though I felt a bit like a monster for the manipulation. I wanted her to make a responsible choice, with all the appropriate information. But I wasn't ready to confess our secret unless there was no other option. Then I approached her parents by calling them into my office for a conference.

I motioned for Charlie and Renee to have a seat. They looked concerned and pensive, especially Chief Swan. "Good afternoon, I called you here to get your permission to attempt an experimental surgery on your daughter. It is a procedure, that if successful, could restore partial, if not full mobility to her legs."

"Oh my god!" Renee was exuberant, and her eyes were wide with expectation. "Where do I sign?"

"Renee, I think we should hear what's involved first. Not that we don't trust you doctor, but I won't subject Bella to anything that'll do more harm than good." Charlie was aggravated with his ex-wife, but it wasn't antagonistic.

"You're right Charlie, I just can't believe that it's possible." She gave me a big enthusiastic smile, and then attempted to restrain the emotions so plainly written on her face. I couldn't help but notice how closely she resembled her daughter, it brought up the guilt I had tried to bury for a bitter moment.

"Alright, I wouldn't let you make this decision without some understanding of the procedure and it's risks. This surgery will be very long and involved, and it has only be successfully performed twice before. Experimental is good word for it, but those two patients did recover full use of their paralyzed limbs. Recovery won't be easy, potentially years of rehabilitation. But I'm confident that with Bella's strength and youth she can handle this kind of... journey"

"Will this let her live longer?" Charlie seemed reluctantly enthusiastic. He eyes had brightened, and I could see the beginnings of pain he'd been suffering through lift ever so slightly. I worried that my true plan would hurt him more than I'd anticipated. But I had to be selfish, I had to think about the alternatives. I had to subject this man to the loss of his only daughter, so that I wouldn't lose my son.

"Hopefully it will let her live a long life free of disability. At the very least it will restore the feeling in her legs, and significantly reduce the pain she has to currently endure." The rest of the conversation was all downhill. They were so excited by the prospects of having their daughter's life back, that the risks were worth it. Bella was brought in after I'd told them the entire surgical plan, and schedule for recovery. She seemed excited, but restrained. It was as if she realized that this would be the end of this life. After the surgery she would either be dead, or she would finally be able to continue with her life. I guess I could see that in a lot of ways those were better lives than the one she was currently confined to.

The time frame was a bit of a surprise, but when they asked Bella what she thought. Her pretty face effortlessly shifted from introspective to bright and dazzled her mother into a state of perfect confidence with just a look. "I'll be fine mom, I think this is the best chance I have right now."

"I'm so… I don't know if there's a word. This will be the beginning of the rest of your life, and things will go back to the way they were before." Renee responded brightly. But I could see it hurt Charlie. He glanced down briefly as she spoke, and I could tell she was oblivious to his feelings. Bella obviously understood the situation in a way that her mother could never understand, and her expression quickly changed.

"Mom, things can't go back to the way they were. But we can make a new life, a great one I promise." Renee's face fell for a second, and then she perked back up and smiled brightly at both of them before they left the office together. Once they were gone, I closed my eyes and took a deep sigh of relief. I hid in my office over the next few days in an effort to avoid Edward. But I needn't have worried, because Esme told me that he never came home. The day of the surgery I met Bella in the prep room to give her at least some choice, I couldn't go through with it with her completely blind to the truth of the new life she was about to enter.

During the exchange I noted several things about her that I had only partially acknowledged to myself before. It reaffirmed my confidence that I had made the right choice. She was selfless and intelligent, and would be willing to sacrifice herself and her future, to secure the comfort for her family. This among her other virtues solidified my belief that she truly was my son's match. I struggled with how much to reveal to her, but in the end I only told her what she needed to know. That her life would be different and her family would move on. And in a very real way it would be easier this way. Hope leading into tragedy, was in my experience easier to cope with, then a long drawn out illness that finally ended in death. It was definitely more shocking, but the family wasn't worn down from the years leading up to it. The fight was sometimes worse than the result, especially given the hardships I knew she would have to endure.

When the short exchange was over I called the nurses back in and to take Bella into surgery prep. For the next several hours I worked on my plan, using a mix of techniques I had picked up over the years. I finally got a good look at her spinal damage and then obscured the wound from my nurses. There was no possible recovery without venom, I had been sure of my diagnosis before, but it was nice to have absolute confirmation. My anesthesiologist finally pushed the medication I was waiting for, and as expected her heart began to arrest. I used the measures I knew would look heroic but would cause the least damage to her heart. Everything I had planned was executed flawlessly. As I declared her dead, I volunteered to clean her and take her to the morgue. Deep in her chest I could hear her heart beating slightly once every minute.

I wheeled her to the elevator and then I took the syringe full of venom I had prepared earlier and injected it directly into her heart. The thick viscous liquid was too much for the organ so I pumped her chest repeatedly until the venom worked through her system. Eventually the fire caught, and as it took hold of her I could hear her heart begin to fight against the change. Thankfully the morphine and paralytics kept her immobile, and her breathing shallow. But I needed to make sure no one else would check on her too thoroughly, and that no autopsy would be performed. I checked her in, and verified that she was to be stored until she could be picked up by the mortician. Then I went upstairs and faced her family and friends. Edward was sitting staring out the window. I could see his expression in the glass, and it wasn't the hateful rage that I expected.

"Charlie, Renee. The surgery was going well, but then there was an unforeseen complication and Bella's heart failed. We attempted to resuscitate her, but all our efforts failed. I am deeply sorry, I know you put your trust in me, and I failed you." Charlie looked livid, and stormed out of the hospital without a single word. Renee just fell back into her chair and started to cry. Angela looked at me for a long moment then attended to Renee. Tyler burst into a fit of tears and ran out of the hospital. I followed him with my eyes and caught Edward shake his head out of the corner of my eye. Edward sighed slightly, and then stood and motioned for me to walk with him.

"So, you didn't think I was rational enough to choose this father?" He looked sincere, and I couldn't help but feel a little unsure of my actions.

"I didn't think you were objective enough to make the choice, and I couldn't lose you. I know how you are, if you lost her it would be the end of you." He looked at me for a long moment then sighed.

"I hate to admit it, but I know you're right. I suppose you've already started the change?" He looked resigned, but slightly hopeful.

"Yes, and hopefully she'll be out for a day or two before the drugs wear off. I'm going to make sure she's cremated, so we can steal her away and no one will know the difference. It also means she won't be embalmed, and we'll have a window of time to rescue her. I've planned everything to the minute, once the Swans make the arrangements."

"That's about what I thought you would do. I hate that she has to wait that long. I hope you're right about the drugs. You don't think they'll have a viewing?" He asked suddenly worried. I frowned, the thought had occurred to me. Although it would complicate things, I had a contingency planned.

"I've accounted for that. You're handling this better than I thought you would." I responded quickly. I could see something change on his face, and he gave me his usual reassuring smirk. It made me sigh in relief, I wasn't going to lose him after all.

"I listened to you protecting her heart. I had to keep telling myself that it was the right move. I was furious at first, but this is the answer I couldn't see. The decision I couldn't make. I condemned her to this life or a long painful death, didn't I?" I could see the guilt from resurfacing on his face as he spoke. But there was no anger, which I was eternally grateful for.

"You can't help who you love Edward." I said with all the love I had for him. He shut his eyes and nodded slowly.

"She'll need someone she can trust. Some kind of connection to her past." He said after a moment. I felt my face get hard, because that wasn't something I'd thought of. I searched the faces of her family and friends. Angela was the obvious choice. She was loyal, calm, and capable of adapting to difficult situations. But I couldn't bring myself to suggest her name. I couldn't even think her name, afraid that Edward would pick up on my thoughts. So I conjured the next logical name that occurred to me.

"Charlie?" I suggested reluctantly. But Edward shook his head. He scanned the room quickly until his eyes settled on Angela. I could see the conflict of that choice behind his eyes. But I knew if he picked her out as well, I couldn't argue with him.

"Angela. She's the only one that makes sense." He said with a bit of detachment. But I could tell it hurt him to even suggest putting her in life in this kind of danger.

I knew about her kindness, and how she had been Bella's anchor. She really was the only one that made any kind of sense. But I couldn't help but think about the repercussions of bringing her into this life. At some point in the near future, she would be forced to make a choice about whether or not she wanted to be one of us. I knew that Alice, Esme, Emmett, Jasper and even Rosalie would welcome her with open arms. But could we rob her of her human life like that? She had a family that loved her very much, but she had focused so much of her life on Bella that I wondered if she would be able to move on.

In a very real way she had effectively abandoned all of her old friends in a silent pledge of loyalty to Bella. She was isolated already, and would have no one except Alice and Edward as friends. Maybe it was my selfishness projecting onto her needs, but I wanted to believe that she needed Bella as much as Bella would need her. I needed to sound confidant in the choice, even if a great part of me thought it was a morally corrupt one. I shut my eyes tightly, and felt momentarily tortured about bringing nightmare world into her life. But after a few moments I realized we really didn't have another choice.

I fixed Edward with a determined stare, and finally responded. "You're right, she's the only one that makes sense. However, I think we should wait until Bella is past her blood lust. Then we can bring them together without the possibility of Bella hurting Angela." I thought it was the only rational choice. But I could see Edward didn't like it.

"That sounds like wisdom, but that's the logical solution. I wish it were that simple, but this is all emotion. Unfortunately the emotional choice is simple. We bring her into this now, we can't lie to her for six months and expect her unconditional trust. Alright, I can't lie to her for six months, especially since Alice and I are basically her only friends. We should show her now, and tell her everything." I felt a little shocked, but I couldn't find a flaw in his point. So after another long internal debate I nodded in agreement. Angela would be a part of Bella's life, and I could only hope that it wouldn't ruin her life.


	4. Chapter 4

**Four: Sleeping Beauty**

_(Angela POV)_

It's funny to realize how much three days can change your life. I went from a true high, to an abysmal low, only to get knocked down by a revelation so mind boggling that it literally changed my entire concept of the world. Bella wheeling into class that first day was the beginning. Her face was bright, brighter than it had been in months. Unfortunately I didn't have the time to ask straight out what was causing her mood shift.

The teacher's lecture was super banal, heightened by the fact that Bella was practically bouncing in her chair. I tried to restrain my enthusiasm , but it proved impossible. Unfortunately I didn't have time to ask her what was going on, because Edward was waiting just outside after class. Not that it was surprising, he was always there waiting for her.

Her inability to meet his eyes as he quietly moved around her to take the handles of her chair, only reminded me of how broken she still was. He was a constant reminder of a life that she could never have. It took me back to that first month, when she finally came home from the hospital. I wanted visit her at the hospital during recovery, but she wasn't seeing anyone. That first day at school however, I insinuated myself into her life. Prepared to shrug off any bile she threw at me, I was pleasantly surprised that she accepted me. But something was keeping her from seeing anything positive. It didn't even occur to me what it was until lunch that first day.

Her expression was a mix of hope and hatred, but there was no mistaking where she was focusing her glare. I could see Alice struggling with something, as if she wanted to run over and give her a hug, but Bella could only see the copper haired boy she was so obviously in love with. It only got worse as the weeks moved along sluggishly. Mike and Jessica didn't know how to cope and eventually gave up trying. Tyler was loyal, but I could see that he was only there because of guilt. But in truth I was prepared to be her only friend. Still I never realized how much a person could become like family, and Bella was the sister I never knew I wanted.

The Edward situation, as I liked to call it, was hard to get a handle on. He insisted on pushing her around the grounds to class after every period. Although she accepted his friendship, there was a strange tension she held whenever he was around. Occasionally she tried to subtly steal glances at him, but in her eyes I could see that she thought she wasn't worthy of his attention. After a couple of weeks of that I realized that the true tragedy was his blind devotion to her. He was so obviously in love with her that it broke my heart. I tried not to get upset about that, and hoped that the routine would be good for her.

At least it let me spend time with Alice, Edward sister. She was my other best friend. I found that although I had a lot in common with Bella, she appealed to my more intellectual side, literature and science. So Bella was my sister, but Alice was like my girly soul mate. Everything she did was perfect, and the way she dressed was like a permanent fashion show. I could let myself be silly with Alice, so I could be serious with Bella.

Over the next six months we got to know the Cullens, and spent entirely too much time in that giant house of theirs. I didn't really want to admit that I loved it there, and I could see the sadness in Bella's eyes every time she had to leave. It didn't take much to realize how much the Cullen's meant to her. It didn't help that they all accepted her as almost an adoptive daughter, and sister. Which seemed to extend to me as well. Although they never seemed to like Tyler very much, I guess they could see through his guilty facade. That thought brought me back to the moment, watching Edward push her down the pathway to building 3. Once we got into our next class and I took the opportunity to ask her what was going on.

"So what's the news, you're never this bouncy?" It came out with a bit more sarcasm than I intended, but she only she smirked at me. It felt like there was nothing that could sour her mounting excitement.

"I'm having another surgery tomorrow." She seemed overly bright about the news. She'd been through more than a couple of surgeries since the crash.

"Really? Is it just another complication, or is it something bigger?" I kept my voice neutral as well as my expression. But the idea of something that could help her walk, or fix her arm filled me with a joy that I couldn't really hide.

"Much bigger! Dr. Cullen is trying something experimental in an attempt to restore mobility to my legs." I could hold back after that kind of news and I nearly jumped out of my seat to hug her. Instead I got up and sat carefully in her lap hugging her tightly.

"That's wonderful news. And the surgery's tomorrow?" I couldn't stop smiling, and my face began to cramp because of it.

"Yeah, it's supposed to be long too." She pouted slightly, but it was only show. After as many surgeries as Bella has gone through, she has developed a rather blasé approach to the process.

"Oh, well I'll make sure mom and dad stay home then. The twins can't take the long waits." I furrowed my brow; I knew they only came to wait to support me. Even though they liked Bella, she was my friend and my responsibility. I wasn't going to burden them with the really long waits.

"You don't have to wait either, it's not like I'm gonna die tomorrow." She gave a half smile, our game was simple; she never said the truth and I never admitted it was a possibility.

"Screw that, you know there's nothing that would keep me away from that stupid musty room. The seat by the window has a groove in it shaped like my ass." Bella snorted with laughter, and then shook her head at me.

"It's your torment, not mine. I'll be nice and unconscious for it." We got in a nice laugh before class started. The lecture was also insanely boring, but I didn't even notice the time dragging by. Once we made our way out of class I gave Edward, who was standing silently like a marble statue, a bright smile. But he wasn't happy, his dark eyes were almost dangerous with a strange desperation. I could tell he knew about Bella's news. My guess is that he either heard us, or his father told him about the surgery. Edward was uncanny about stuff like that. He glanced at me and smirked, like he could read my mind.

"Hey Eddie." I only use his hated abbreviated name when he irritates me. And his current expression irritated me. He was apparently mortified that Bella was about to have surgery, not that it was any of his business.

"You know I hate that." He raised his eyebrows in frustration.

"That's why I do it." I stuck my tongue out at him in jest.

"We're going to be late for class." His expression had fallen into a typical deadpan, but his eyes were still alive with that strange desperation.

"Don't you want to hear about my news first?" Bella looked up into his eyes and immediately looked away.

"Of course." Edward looked down at her and from that point on there was no point in even attempting to talk to him. She related the details she knew as he pushed her towards our next class. The rest of the day was mixed with excitement and confusion. Edward was uncharacteristically sour, and it really put a damper on Bella's mood. Less than twenty-four hours later, ten of which I'd spent waiting for news, I found myself listening to Dr. Cullen tell us that Bella had died on the table. I was in shock, I couldn't absorb that information. My best friend was gone, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Still staring at Dr. Cullen I noticed Chief Sawn as he flew into a rage and stormed out of the hospital without saying anything. Then Tyler burst into a fit of fake tears and ran out of the hospital as well. At that point I knew I was the only one left, and Renee would need me. As much as it hurt, I had to shrug off my own shock to take care of her. I spent awhile trying to console her, but the details of how her daughter died were the only thing that seemed to matter to her. So I reluctantly volunteered to track down Dr. Cullen and drill him for information. I saw him leave with Edward and followed the same direction they left in.

As I made my way through the maze of hallways I found them standing across from each other leaning against opposite walls. The empty corridor felt a little ominous as I approached, coupled with the sudden realization that they both looked extremely unusual. Their pale skin and oddly colored eyes struck me with an acute sense of danger. I knew that they would never hurt me, but for some reason I was suddenly frightened.

Neither of them had noticed me yet, and for a moment I thought about turning back. Carlisle nodded in agreement over something, and then in a nearly simultaneous motion they both turned to look at me. My heart started to beat heavily, and I had to fight the urge to run. As they approached it took every ounce of self control I had to stay where I was, and I was pissed at myself for being so timid.

"Angela. I'm glad you're here. There's something that we wanted to discuss with you, it concerns Bella." I wasn't really hearing Carlisle at first, until he mentioned Bella. Then all the fear drained away, replaced by an intense curiosity and a twinge of intense sadness. They turned and begged me to follow them. For a few moments we walked in silence, until we got to a service elevator. Once the button was pushed and the doors were closed Edward turned to me with a unexpectedly bright expression.

"Bella isn't dead." I blinked a few times, unable to really accept the words he had just spoken. A blind rage descended, and my vision went red. They had lied to her family, they brought them pain and for what? I launched myself at Edward, not even thinking about what I was going to do. He caught me easily, and held me in place with an impossibly strong grip.

"Angela, you need to listen to us. We did this so she can live again." Carlisle's soothing voice calmed me down a little, but I couldn't turn away from Edward. I had no idea what my expression was, but it wasn't one I had ever felt before.

"What do you mean she isn't dead?!" I glanced at Carlisle, for answers. I trusted him more than Edward for some reason. He took a deep breath before explaining, and the precise motion made me feel that strange discomfort again.

"I gave her something that would fix the damage to her body, but the side effects are rather extreme." I didn't understand, was it some kind of drug? That didn't make sense a drug like that would be global news, that would have massive implications.

"You're right, it isn't a drug." Edward's spoke softly, but his words were startling. It was as if he could read my mind. "Yes, I can read your mind. Please listen we're just trying to help."

"What that hell?" I shifted by eyes to meet both of their faces a few times, before taking a deep breath, and started to back away from Edward. He let go of me instantly, and that made me feel a little better about the situation.

"We're not exactly... human." The last word lingered in the air as the doors to the elevator opened up into a part of the hospital I'd never seen. Carlisle lead us down the cold hallway until we entered the morgue. There was no one there, which seemed to embolden Carlisle's actions. He moved quickly to a wall of refrigerated cabinets, and opened one without a hint of hesitation. He pulled out a long sliding tray with a female shape lying still under a white sheet. Carlisle uncovered her head as Edward picked up her chart like he was some sort of doctor. Then Carlisle took a hold of my right hand and placed it on her carotid artery. Her pulse was quick and strong, and I felt myself pull away in fear.

"She isn't dead, she's changing. Bella needs someone in her life she can trust. I'm not saying you will be able to see her right away, because she will be very volatile and unpredictable for several months. But she will still be Bella, and you can still be her friend. I need her to know she isn't a prisoner, and she can make her own choices. So I need you to be her liaison, her link to her life. Do you think you can handle that?" I couldn't pull my eyes away from her face, which was so passive that it was hard to believe that she wasn't dead.

It was too much to take in with a single sentence. They wanted me to be her friend still, I caught that. I also caught the offhanded way he threw out the word human, like she wasn't going to be human anymore. My mind started running in circles, dancing around several questions all at once. Until I settled on two simple ones, what was she going to be, and why the secrecy.

"Ok, let me get this straight. You did something to her that will make her volatile and unpredictable, but you want me to remain as her sole link to her old life. And oh yes, she'll no longer be human. So what exactly is she going to be, and why all the lies?"

"For lack of a better term, she is turning into a vampire." I almost laughed. Even in my most absurd daydream did I imagine that they were vampires. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing that could really be real. Yet I managed to recover fairly quickly, and started to speak before thinking through what I wanted to say.

"That answers question one, does that mean you're one too? Wait I don't want to know, because that would mean all the Cullen's are, and that would also mean that I am in a secluded place with a couple of vampires." Babbling, and surrounded by pale guys with unnatural eyes. Suddenly the idea didn't seem so absurd anymore. But then Edward started to chuckle, and quickly interjected.

"Yes you are alone with a couple of vampires, who would very much like to be you our friend. We only want what's best for Bella. To be honest I owe her more than this, I'm responsible for her disability to begin with." Carlisle shook his head and frowned at him.

"Nonsense, you made a choice. You can't blame yourself forever for choosing your family over the life of a virtual stranger." He was adamant, but it didn't explain what he meant. I started to ponder what he said, and realized that he could've saved Bella from the crash. How could he not act, I knew he loved Bella. There was no reason that I could conjure that would absolve him of his responsibility to keep her safe.

"Yes I love her, and I regret not acting every second of everyday. I can only hope that she'll forgive me when she awakens. But I'm not holding out hope for that." Edward looked so broken, his normal defenses were completely down. It was strange to see him so exposed and vulnerable.

"That isn't what we should be concerned with right now. Bella is too far along to stop the change, and we don't know what will happen when she does awaken. What is true is that she will be hungry, and you can't be around Angela. because she won't be able to stop herself from feeding from you. And I can guess how much that would destroy her." Carlisle spoke so earnestly I could only believe him. I wasn't sure how much I believed about the whole vampire thing. But I did trust that they loved her, and would take care of her. So I let myself give them the benefit of the doubt about this.

"Would feeding from me kill me? Never mind I don't want to know right now. Look you guys can fill me in later on the details. I guess I won't tell anyone either. But you do have to give me some proof that you aren't just pulling my leg. The situation gives you the benefit of the doubt, but I need more. I need something tangible." I felt incredulous, and still not entirely convinced. Carlisle grabbed a corner of the metal examining table and bent it up ninety degrees without an obvious effort on his part. Then he carefully returned it to its normal position and smoothed out the crease.

"Is that enough proof for you?" I nodded and stared at the reformed table for several seconds. I muttered "holy shit" under my breath so quietly that I wasn't entirely sure I actually said the words.

In my head I started to play out the only way their story made sense, they had to pretend to be human teenagers to stay here as long as possible. They could push almost ten years before someone noticed something was off, and longer if they kept to themselves. I felt a little giddy and yet I had a sinking feeling weighing down my stomach. This had to be a massive joke, how could any of it be real. The most gorgeous people in school were vampires. And Bella was now their Cinderella, invited to the ball and destined to become a princess. Despite that unbelievable truth, I couldn't bring myself to feel jealous. I only felt happy for her. For a moment I started to wonder if she might finally be able to get over her resentment. But stopped that train of thought, realizing that Edward could easily pick up on my thoughts. No matter how bizarre that was, I couldn't betray my friends feelings.

"Yeah, that's good enough for me. Vampires exist, and my best friend is about to become one of them. Ok I got one more question then." I was speaking with a bit of my sanity teetering on the edge of breaking, but they both nodded in responds to my inquiry. "How long do I have to stay away from her?" Edward took the floor from Carlisle who looked a little worn. This must've been a long day for him, and I couldn't imagine having to make that kind of choice.

"We don't know for sure, it will really be up to how long it takes for Bella to acclimate to the change. It could take several months, maybe up to a couple of years." Lovely, I would have to deal with a drugged up Bella jonesing for her next blood fix. I could see it clearly, her nightly calls begging me to be her blood doll so she could suck on my neck like a lollipop. But if that was what she needed, I would do it. She was my best friend, and nothing would ever change that. I shook my head at the whole situation and walked over to Bella. I noticed a stray hair stretched across her forehead so I brushed it away, and then leaned down to whisper in her year.

"I hope you can hear me. If you can, I think they only meant to help you, and I know that this will be frightening. But I promise I'll be there for you, even if that means I can't be in the same room with you. Give me a call when you can, and remember I'll always be there for you. I Love you Isabella, you will always be my best friend." Then I leaned over and kissed her gently on the forehead. "I'm ready to get out of here; I can't see her like this anymore."

I felt torn leaving her alone. I had no doubt that Edward loved her. But love can twist fairly easily into something dark. But what could I do, they were so strong. I couldn't tell anyone without looking like a lunatic. Neither my parents nor Bella's would understand. If they are being truthful then she will either love it or hate it. I only wished I could anticipate which, at least she was going to walk again. That was enough to make me sigh with joy. I just hoped the rest of it was good for her.

"Of course, we'll make sure she knows she can call you. Thank you for this Angela, if there is anything we can ever do for you please let us know." Carlisle almost startled me as lost in thought as I was, but his pleasant smile put me at ease. Then he nodded at me with an appreciative nod, he was genuinely thankful that I was willing to help.

"We'll keep our promises, if you keep yours. Rest assured she will be whole again. But to be truthful we are probably leaving this place. You'll be able to keep in contact with her, but it will have to be long distance." I was grateful that he felt the need to be bluntly honest. But it hadn't occurred to me that they would be gone for good.

"That makes sense… no wait, why do you have to leave?" I was very confused. I didn't understand the need, why couldn't they just keep her here.

"There are other reasons we don't want to get into. But suffice it to say we don't want to anger the wrong people. It is simply better if we leave and make our home elsewhere. Plus if we keep Bella away from people it will be easier for her to get used to our way of feeding." I could only guess what he meant. But the impression was that there were worse things than vampires out there and he didn't want to piss off the wrong thing. Then it occurred to me what he really meant, they didn't feed off humans.

"You don't feed off people, what do you feed off of then, animals?" I waited impatiently for confirmation. This would be a major boon in the "Bella loves this" side of her pro and con list.

"Yes, in fact we do." Carlisle answered with obvious pride in his voice.

"I can't say this without sounding hokey, but that's awesome. Good vampires, leave it to Forks to house a group of good vampires." I felt relieved, and I finally felt myself accept this new reality, and the possibility of something really wonderful coming out of this for Bella.

"Let's get you out of here Angela, we'll keep in touch I promise." Edward smiled at me and waved me over towards the door. I noticed Carlisle glance at Edward, and then they had a brief unspoken exchange. A second later Carlisle took over for his son and began to lead me out of the morgue. I looked back and noticed Edward leaning down close to Bella's ear. We crossed the threshold and the large double doors began to swing closed behind us, but in that second I heard a faint whisper. Edward's voice echoing above the sounds of the machinery, and his words filled me with joy.

"Bella, I love you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Five: Ice and Fire**

_(Bella POV)_

The anesthesiologist made me count down. It felt like a countdown to death. I had no idea what was about to happen, but it held the promise and the peril of the unknown. Unfortunately it also held all of the fear of the worst, as well as the tense hope of a better life. The surgery felt like a great pit of darkness. I felt like I was repeatedly falling into that darkness, only to be yanked out at the last minute.

The knockout drugs were also very effective, but the pain medication not so much. When I finally did awaken I was utterly unable to move even my eyelids. And the pain was impossibly intense, like an undulating fire charring my skin in waves of superheated lava.

I waited while people came and went, and it was cold like a refrigerator. Then I heard three very familiar voices enter the room. One of them removed the cloth that was covering my face. Then they held a long conversation, in which the topic of Vampires was brought up. This information was parlayed along with the stinging realization that I was turning into one.

I tried to concentrate, but the fire kept distracting me. Then I felt a hand brush away a strand of hair from my face and Angela began to whisper to me.

"I hope you can hear me. If you can, I think they only meant to help you, and I know that this will be frightening. But I promise I'll be there for you, even if that means I can't be in the same room with you. Give me a call when you can, and remember I'll always be there for you. I Love you Isabella, you will always be my best friend."

I wanted to reach out to her, and let her know I felt the same. But my frustrating new paralysis kept me from comforting her. They started to wrap up the conversation, and I could tell Carlisle was leading Angela away. Then suddenly the fire began to spread down into my legs. The blissful fire was the first sensation I had felt in my lower limbs in over six months. I was so gleeful about the change that I almost didn't hear Edward.

"Carlisle did this for me, because Bella… " His frustratingly long pause was only accentuated by the realization that now the pain would be double what it was before. "…I love you." My heart exploded, almost literally. I felt it speed up so fast that I thought it was going to burst from the activity. I wanted to reach out to him and hug and kiss him. Then repeatedly tell him I felt the same. I couldn't understand how he loved me, but it didn't matter. "I have to go my love, I can't be found here right now. We'll come to get you as soon as we can. And then we'll be together, I hope." He gently kissed me on the forehead, and then pulled the sheet over my face.

"Hope! You hope. Don't you know that I love you too?" I yelled at him in my mind, but it was foolish to think he could hear me. I could hear him leaving, even though he lingered for a long while at the door. And then I was alone, in the cold. The next several hours were excruciating, and confusing. It was obvious that I was supposed to dead, because the doctors treated me like a corpse. One even grumbled over my chart.

"Damn Cullen, why doesn't he want an autopsy. He might be able to perfect that treatment, think about the good that it would do." The other doctor seemed to agree, but they thankfully obeyed the order and put me in a storage locker. The cold seemed to have an accelerating effect on the fire in my system; as soon as the door was closed the waves of the pyre seemed to skyrocket. Then I waited for a long time. Until finally the mortician came. He wrapped me in a body bag, which felt like being in a shroud. I was hefted onto a gurney and rolled down long corridor with bumps in the floor and finally put into the back of a refrigerated vehicle.

The doors slamming shut felt like a strange omen, as if he was shutting the door on my life. Shrouded and alone I was strapped onto a cold metal table and could feel every bump the van went over. The ride felt eternal, every second stretched into hour, and every minute seemed like a day. The flames lapping in tidal waves up and down my flesh and muscle, distended time and made it bloat like a corpse washed up after a week at sea.

We stopped abruptly and I was hoisted out of the van like a mannequin. I thought he would take more time and transfer me to a bed, but he didn't seem to care. I hated feeling out of control, but what was more frightening was the sensation of the paralytic and morphine beginning to fade. After they were gone completely it took every ounce of willpower not to move.

I was stripped and placed on yet another cold metal table. He washed me with a sponge, and then dressed me like a doll. He even took the time to paint hard makeup on my face. Finally he transferred me into a soft bed, which took me a moment to realize was a coffin. As the lid was closed I felt forgotten, like a toy cast aside by a careless child.

In this dark yet soft place I waited. It seemed like hours, and it probably was. The flames were growing in intensity, but I found my resistance was growing as well. Yet nothing could be worth this level of horror and pain. I wondered why Carlisle and Edward wanted to do this to me. If this was the price of mobility, I would've preferred not to pay it.

Then thankfully I felt movement, which then stopped just as suddenly as it started. Then I heard two voices that I couldn't quite make out, until one of them opened the lid of my coffin. I wanted to lunge and escape from this hell, but at the same time I didn't want to break the charade. It seemed as if everyone's life hung in the balance of my self control.

At least I still had Angela, and Edward. Plus Alice would probably be in on this as well. The two voices went away after that and I was again left alone. I wanted to at least open my eyes, and look at my surroundings. But the pain forced me to keep them closed. I feared that if I did open them I would no longer be able to keep up the act.

Not that keeping still was easy, it was agony. Then I heard people crowd into the large space I was in. They seemed to be coming from the opposite side of the room. And their whispered voices were frustrating in their familiarity. After what seemed like close to half an hour everyone settled and quieted down.

To my right I heard Mr. Weber clear his throat. That's when I figured out that I was about to experience my own viewing. I was mortified, I didn't know if I could endure it.

"We are gathered here to remember Isabella Marie Swan. Due to the family's wishes this viewing will be brief." I almost sighed with relief, but his pause was short enough that the urge was easy to ignore. "Bella, as she preferred to be called, was a caring and selfless soul, who seldom asked for anything and often refused gifts and compliments. She was intelligent, and generous to those around her. Half a year ago she was in a devastating accident that left her disabled. But from that disability she inspired those around her with her capacity to keep positive in the face of adversity, and the displays of strength she demonstrated after several painful operations." Then he stopped to clear his throat again, obviously upset.

"On a personal note, she was also a great friend to my oldest child Angela. The two of them have been so close that they regarded each other as sisters. In that way I considered Bella an extended member of my own family, and she will be deeply missed. The last two days have been difficult for everyone including myself, yet her loss has been most acutely felt by her parents. Charlie Swan wanted to say a few words this afternoon, but has chosen to reserve those sentiments for the funeral later this afternoon. The funeral will be a private family affair, so those who wish to pay final respects should do so now. Thank you all for coming, your presence is a great comfort to those closest to her." I felt like screaming again in frustration. I knew that I wouldn't be at my own funeral and I wanted to hear my father's last words to me. It was the most difficult moment so far in all of my self-imposed paralysis.

Then I heard several people get up out of their chairs. After a few moments the first of a seemingly endless line of people took turns paying respects to me. Saying goodbye, or just pretending to be. I recognized the voices of several of my old friends, Mike Newton, Jessica Stanley, Eric Yorkie, who all apologized about being childish and ignorant about my disability, then each said goodbye in their own way.

Then my beloved Angela came up and leaned in close to my face. In a voice that was barely even a whisper she said, "you'll be out soon" then to cover her action she kissed my cheek. Then several parents and teachers came up and said brief goodbyes to me. I wanted to cry, I had no idea so many people cared. Finally after everyone else had said their farewell's I heard the all too familiar sound of a wheel chair being pushed down the aisle.

After a few grunts Billy Black leaned in and whispered softly to me, "I don't know who did this to you, but I have my ideas. We'll be waiting for you to awaken, there is no way were going to let you hunt so close to our home." His words frightened and confused me. I felt my left hand twitch involuntarily. "So you can hear me. Bella this isn't personal, if you could be trusted I would consider leaving you alive. But you will be far too dangerous. For what it's worth, I'm sorry this happened to you." Then he called Jacob over who helped him into his chair. Jacob leaned over and muttered goodbye quietly, and then they were gone.

Finally they all left one by one until, yet again, I was left alone. I thought in circles about the threat leveled against me by a family friend. What had Edward and Carlisle dragged me into. Eventually the mortician wheeled me back downstairs and closed my coffin. After a few minutes I heard it open again and a pair of very gentle hands lifted me out effortlessly. I heard the sound of the coffin closing and then we were moving.

I couldn't get a sense of speed, but it felt fast and I was barely jostled. Finally I was inside a building again and the hands laid me gently on a bed. The bed was obviously a medical bed; I recognized the way the mattress pushed into my back in all the wrong places. After several minutes a cold hand intertwined through my fingers and someone brushed a strand of hair out of my face.

"Carlisle are you sure she's alright? She hasn't moved at all. Okay then, if you're confidant then that's good enough for me." He paused then leaned in close to my face. "You are safe now Bella. You don't have to worry about any more unpleasantness, and definitely no more coffins, I promise my love." It was Edward, and my heart which was already beating a mile a minute spiked in speed. "It looks like we got you here just in time. Alice, can you see when she'll wake up?" After a few seconds he said, "That's wonderful." Then he kissed my cheek, and whispered to me. "It won't be too much longer now, and you should start feeling different soon."

Is if on cue I felt something new. The fire had been a constant, but suddenly it began to grow even more intense. This coincided with several things all at once. The sounds around me grew exponentially sharper, and the distance I could hear also jumped significantly. I could hear all the occupants of the house move around, and their infrequent voices were so clear that it was like they were standing next to me. The scents of the room also jumped out at me; the subtle floral of perfume, the deep musk of old books, and another sweet smell that I couldn't place. And my mind was opened up in a way that let me experience everything all at once.

Then my heart started to thunder in its rapidity, it's regular beat transformed into a jungle rhythm of white hot music hammering away on metal drums. Slowly the fire started to retreat from my fingers and toes. They felt cool and strong and I wiggled my toes and gripped Edwards hand tightly. His hand felt different, I was surprised how soft and warm it was. The few times he had touched me before, his skin felt very different, before it was cold and hard like rock. I wondered if it was perception or something else that brought about this change.

Little by little my heart continued to speed up, drawing the fire into it. This amassed in an ever growing mountain of pain until finally it was beating so quickly that it no longer felt like separate beats. The nearly deafening single note of my heart sounded like the drone of a hospital heart monitor blaring out a flat line. Next, I felt new instincts asserting themselves as the rest of the family gathered into the room.

As if the fates had a part to play in the irony of my life, I felt a great well of anticipation knowing that this was a moment of great importance. That was until the last anticlimactic moment of life, when my heart stuttered and stopped. I gasped in shock and threw open my eyes as the pain stopped abruptly. I lifted my head and looked around the room. Through my new eyes the world was bright and sharp. All the details of the room were almost painful in their clarity. I gasped again, unsure of what was happening to me. Then I looked around and found the eyes of the Cullen's one at a time. Each of them smiled in a warm greeting. It was too much too soon. I flung myself off the table tearing my hand out of Edwards grasp.

Then I noticed him, his usual glorious appearance was, unbelievably, so much more overwhelming. He was looking at me with passion and fear. It dawned on me that he was under the impression that I didn't care for him the same way he did for me. I smiled and felt a need to play with his emotions a little, payback for putting me through two days of torture.

"You could at least ask before turning a girl into a vampire, I mean sheesh I haven't even reciprocated…" Edward looked crestfallen, my intent was fulfilled perfectly. I let a few painful seconds pass before I couldn't keep up the pretense anymore. "Yet." With my wonderful new legs I threw myself over the table and wrapped my arms around his chest. Then I moved my face to within inches of his and lingered there, my lips almost touching his. Then I whispered to him, my voice barely audible and definitely shaky with unexpressed emotion. "I love you too." Then I kissed him fiercely, holding back none of my pent up passion.


	6. Chapter 6

**Six: Reciprocation**

_(Edward POV)_

"I love you too." Less than four days previously she was standoffish and downright resentful of me. After everything I've done to her how could she possibly love me, especially in comparison to the love I felt for her? And then her lips were pressed against mine with such force and passion that I couldn't hold back my own emotions.

The heist from the funeral home had gone smoothly. Alice even had time to dress her before the change fully started. But the way she held onto my hand during her change was so encouraging. Even in her state of absolute pain she chose to hold on to me. I wished desperately to be able to read her like I could everyone else, but her transformation hadn't lifted her block against me.

Still the burn I felt for her was nearly as painful as my thirst, and nothing short of impending death could've pulled me away from her lips. I heard everyone quietly shuffle out of the room, it was apparent that a room full of family was the last thing on Bella's mind at the moment. I was fully content to continue kissing her indefinitely, locked in an eternal embrace. Unfortunately the impractically of living the rest of our existence in a permanent kiss eventually won out against my irrational impulses.

Forcing us apart was like pulling off a leg, or worse removing my still beating heart, not that it beat without her. Melodramatic or not, I couldn't understand the sensation fully. I had never felt so out of control, and so utterly in control. I felt a wide smile cross my face as she pouted a little. Then she bit her lower lip. Her eyes were fixated on mine, a burning desire illuminating the crimson red orbs. I stared into her inhuman eyes and smiled, she was exuding love and desire and there was no mistaking her emotions they were written clearly on her perfect face.

"You truly do love me. I guess I've known for a while. But you pushed me away so often that I had serious doubts." She would've blushed, and her expression was unmistakable as embarrassment. I smiled and caressed her silky hair pulling it from her face. "I do think you should know everything now. You have a lot to learn, and a lot to experience. And as much as I would love to stay here forever and kiss you, you need to feed." She looked a little confused, and then rubbed her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she felt the first wave of her thirst.

"Yeah, I can feel something burning in my throat, it's a little like the other fire only a lot more localized." Her voice was a chorus of bells, lilting and melodic and I nearly melted hearing her causally speak. "My voice is different, what else about me is different. Obviously I can walk, so that's an improvement. I think I heard you tell Angela you feed off of animals?"

"You are unbelievably beautiful, of course you were always beautiful, but I can't express in words what you look like to me now. I do think I can express it in a different way though. Alice also set up a mirror in case you wanted to see yourself." Bella nodded, "It will be a shock. And yes we feed off of animals, we gave up on humans a long time ago, I mean the entire family not just me. Well Jasper hasn't had as much experience, and I'm actually nervous and talking too much. This has never happened to me before." She started to laugh but then she stopped and glanced at the mirror. She turned and caught my eyes, and then nodded her head, this time with a little less certainty. I retrieved the floor length mirror leaning against the far wall of the study. I picked it up and walked it to her, and then I turned it to face it towards her.

"Ah…" She brought her hand to her face and traced the new lines. "Who am I? That can't be me, what happened to my eyes?" She continued to touch her new face with awe and shock and although she seemed only a little bit distressed, it was obvious the change was a little too much too soon. I pulled the mirror away and leaned the reflective side towards the wall.

"You need time, your eyes are like all newborns, and they will fade to golden over a few months. That is if you choose the same life as the rest of us. The rest, well that will never change." She nodded, and then looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I don't know I think I want to pursue my life as a monster, when I can start? You know I think that I should begin with my parents. I know Rende lives alone so she shouldn't be… " I thought she was kidding but I wasn't sure her expression was completely serious. Then she paused and looked at me like I was an idiot. "Of course I would choose your life, there was never any choice to begin with. I don't think I could live with myself if I was that kind of monster." She looked at me with such sincerity and fear that I felt I needed to comfort her. I pulled her into a hug and pressed her head to my chest. Buried in my chest that way, she began to speak again, digging in further to express her embarrassment.

"I don't know how to say this without sounding vain. But I'm beautiful, yet I can't see my face in the mirror anymore." She finally looked up at me and her expression was creased with worry.

"Trust me you're still there, you are just... accentuated. Please let's go hunt and then I have a gift for you. Afterwards we can do anything you like." She sighed and gently released me. The few steps away felt wrong so I held out my hand to her which she took without hesitation.

"Ok my love, I really adore that by the way. It feels possessive without possession, and tasteful. I've always hated the honey and sweetie type nicknames. They've always felt gaudy to me. I did hear you by the way, nearly every word. Although I missed a little bit in the morgue, my legs distracted me for a moment." I blinked at her and shook my head.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. If you'd like I could repeat what I said?" She nodded so I conjured up my words and refused to edit them. This was the moment I was dreading but I had to get it out of the way.

"I said, 'I wish I could hear you, it's still frustrating that I can't. I also wish I could know for sure if you can hear us. If you can, I need you to know that this wasn't about reparations. This was about me; Carlisle did this for me, because Bella… I love you.' I can read minds, it's my particular talent. I can read family, friends, and strangers, everyone… except for you." I felt my face grow into a slight scowl of disappointment as I explained my frustration. But she just smiled at me playfully.

"You are like one of those flowered onion rings you get as an appetizer, okay my analogy sucks, but I can't seem to get a full bead on you. Every time I think I got you figured out you surprise me. So what is the reparation you feel you owe me?" She looked at me with curiosity, and with no hint of distrust.

"That's the hard part. I don't know if you'll love me after I tell you this." I paused and took a deep breath, not that I needed the oxygen. "I hesitated, saving you. The day of the crash if hadn't been worried about protecting my family I could've stopped the van from hurting you at all. But I didn't and I nearly lost you. Can you believe that I've regretted that choice every second of everyday since?" She blinked at me and lowered her gaze to stare at one of the chestnut floorboards. Then she let go of my hand and took a step away. Her face contorted into a mask of pain, she closed her eyes and became a statue.

"Oh, I don't know what to say." Then she stood perfectly still for several seconds. That's when I realized I had lost her completely. I had resigned myself to this a long time ago and had prepared myself to leave and give her at least a little bit of peace without me.

"I do, I'll leave and you'll never have to see me again. I can only say I'm deeply sor…" She closed the gap between us and pressed her hand to my lips and looked up to meet my eyes again. I could see a vast change in her expression. Even though there was a touch of sadness that wasn't there before, all the love and trust was back and in a real way seemed stronger.

"If you leave I'll be forced to follow you. You are my life now, so you better get used to me." She moved in and removed her hand at the last second so I wouldn't have a chance to speak. Then she kissed me passionately. After a long kiss she pulled away reluctantly, "I don't care if you hesitated for the sake of your family, you tried. The pain I suffered was only flesh, you've given me you… and then you healed me. How can I hold you responsible when you've given me everything?"

"I… now I don't know what to say." I felt blank and unsure. I couldn't understand how she had simply forgiven me. Then she smiled at me with perfect love in her eyes. There was nothing more to say, I was hers completely and could never deny her wishes.

"I do, say you love me, I'll never get tired of hearing that." She asked brightly.

"I love you." I said earnestly.

"I'll love you for all eternity, right? We are immortal?" She looked goofy as if she were a child asking for some ice cream after dinner. I chuckled, and then kissed her on the nose, she giggled and I wrapped my right hand in her left and turned toward the door.

"Yes as far as I know. I've been around for close to a century, and Carlisle is quite a bit older than me. That being said we should probably say hello to the rest of the family, wait… I'm confused." Suddenly it dawned on me that she was perfectly lucid, and even tempered. Less than an hour old and she wasn't screaming for blood. She looked at me strangely and then I lead her downstairs at a very quick pace. She followed with a perfect grace that even Alice would be jealous of.

"What is it Edward?" Bella nearly stopped me she looked so worried.

"I have to ask Carlisle a question. It is a good thing, I think." I tried to smile but it came out wrong, and she looked deeply unconvinced.

Emmett handed Rosalie a twenty as we came downstairs and I rolled my eyes at him. Esme looked eager to welcome her new daughter, and Carlisle finally looked calm. Alice was nearly bouncing off the walls, and Jasper looked strained as he tried to rein Alice in.

"Oh god, not to worry you now, but I just remembered something." Bella stopped in her tracks, "I don't know what it meant exactly. But Charlie's friend Billy Black came to my funeral and threatened me. He said they would be waiting for me to wake up, and he seemed to know what I was turning into."

"Wonderful, let's hope they bought the cremation ruse." Rosalie almost snarled but at least her perpetual selfishness was centered on the family this time.

"I guess we should postpone the move, it would look bad if we left right now. We can hide Bella here for a while; the wolves know the territory lines as well as we do." Carlisle spoke thoughtfully but the mention of wolves made Bella's eyes bulge.

"Wolves, do you mean werewolves? What else is out there? Are there fairies, angels, leprechauns, and elves?" She looked torn between an odd fascination and utter bewilderment.

"No, as far as I know there are only vampires and werewolves. Well at least as far as I've seen and I'm over four hundred years old. Mind you the wolves here are quite different than those found elsewhere in the world. But that is a story for another time. Don't worry about it for now Bella." Carlisle seemed amused and happy to answer his daughter's questions. There was no denying the way he looked at her; Bella was already a member of the family.

"Oh in that case, why am I worried?" Bella rolled her eyes and smirked at Carlisle.

Carlisle smiled at her for a brief moment then his expression changed to confusion. He framed his thoughts into a sentence directed at me, _"Wait a moment, she is extremely rational. I've never seen a newborn so even tempered."_

"That's why I came down here so fast. I'm guessing you have no ideas either." Bella looked between the two of us, a little miffed that she wasn't in on the full extent of the conversation.

"Okay that's going to get annoying." She squeezed my hand for emphasis, and then leveled a withering glare at me.

"Sorry, habit. Carlisle remarked that you are incredibly even tempered for a newborn. Are you having any issues controlling your emotions or impulses, and aren't you burning with thirst?"

"I wasn't until you mentioned it, and I am having issues controlling my emotions they're all over the place." She scrunched up her nose like she had just encountered a bad smell, then closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

"You aren't acting like it. Either way we should get you out on a hunt. I'll show you my favorite; I hope it doesn't disgust you." She smiled at me and then kissed me gently on the cheek.

"Oh I imagine that I will love what you love. But the first time will probably be a little difficult, yet I know I'll get over it. If I had a choice, vampirism or death, I'd choose vampirism any day." She smiled slightly, then sighed and motioned towards the door. "After you." I smirked and looked around the room. Bella noticed my movement then winced. "Oh sorry, you've all been waiting for me too. Um can I hug everyone when we get back, my throat is pretty much a like a bonfire right now."

"Not at all dear, take your time." Esme gave her the warmest smile she was capable of, which was almost unfair. Bella looked torn, and I could tell she wanted to return the sentiment somehow. Then she pouted and rushed towards the door. In a motion so fluid that it looked rehearsed she grabbed a hold of the door handle and swung it open in the same movement. As soon as her feet crossed the threshold she was at a run. She nearly pulled me along as she rushed into the forest.

"Go to the back of the house and across the river." She angled her body to circle around the house. As soon as we got to the edge of the river she halted abruptly.

"Ok that's impossible." She looked at the turbulent water with skepticism. I grinned at her and disentangled my hand from hers. I measured the distance then jumped in a shallow arch to land softly on the other bank of the river.

"Then again, I don't think I can just leap it. I'm gonna give it a running start." She skipped back several steps then ran full tilt towards the water, for a second I thought she was going to run right in, but at the last second she jumped. It wasn't like my leap; it was much further and far more agile. She landed just inside the tree line giggling the entire way. A few seconds later I heard her shout. "I think I overshot a little."

I laughed as I caught up with her. She was up in a tree. Her midnight blue silk dress was ripped along the seam line of her right leg. I was grateful that I had at least been able to talk Alice out of giving her heels. She pouted but couldn't deny my logic, _"Right Alice give an ex-paraplegic a pair of high heels on her first day with new legs. That's a brilliant idea."_ Instead she chose a simple black patent leather flat with a tasteful silver buckle. Knowing Bella I doubted that she even noticed them.

"So where to mighty hunter?" She jumped down to the soft ground beside me, and smiled gently at her perfect landing. "I have to say my coordination has improved dramatically, I blame the accident for that one." She smiled wider as she took my hand again.

"This way." And I lead her into the forest for our first hunt together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Seven: Visions**

_(Alice POV)_

I didn't even get to hug her. Jasper felt the need to restrain me, he thought too much all at once would overwhelm her. Maybe they were right, but I was sure she wouldn't have minded. While I waited impatiently for Edward and Bella to return I called Angela. Someone needed to tell her Bella was up and fully cured of her disability. I picked up my cell phone and dialed the number. The phone rang only twice before the familiar voice picked up.

"Hey Alice." She sounded happy that I called but a little disappointed. Although the reason was obvious, she was hoping to hear from Bella.

"Is it safe to talk?" I asked for show, I already knew it was okay.

"Yeah my parents just took the twins to the doctor for a checkup. I pretended to be too depressed to go. So is she awake?" Her voice seemed to pick up a little.

"Oh yeah, and she's glorious. She is beautiful and graceful, and also completely frustrating. She is unlike any newborn we have ever encountered." I felt myself glowing as I told her, and the slightly negative wording wasn't exactly what I had intended.

"How so?" She seemed concerned and almost worried.

"Don't be worried, I'm not… exactly. Just confused, you see most newborns can't even speak clearly they are so consumed with blood lust. Bella seems to have emerged fully grown. She didn't even realize she needed to feed until someone mentioned it." There was definite pride in my voice. It was gratifying to have all my assertions that Bella would make an excellent addition to our family validated.

"Oh wow, so I might not have to stay away as long then?" I thought about it for a moment, searching for a vision. But nothing came.

"Maybe, I have no idea." I heard her sigh softly. It wasn't the answer what she wanted to hear.

"Well could you let her know I want to talk, I need to know how she's doing?" Her voice was a little impatient which was unlike her. But her best friend was going through something major and it was only natural to be upset without concrete news direct from the horse's mouth.

"Of course, I'll tell her as soon as she's back." I tried to sound extremely upbeat, and might have overdone it slightly.

"From?" A little bit of irritation slipped in her tone, but it wasn't directed at me.

"Hunting with Edward, I'm a little miffed too. They wouldn't let me talk to her when she woke up. But she promised hugs when she got back. Oh and the really exciting news is that I was right, they've already told each other how they feel!" This wasn't forced exuberance I could feel the joy radiating from me as I told her.

"Oh my god, so soon! That's great! I was worried she wouldn't be able to get over the accident. I'm glad she's adjusting so easily." She seemed happy and relieved.

"I'm happy for them. Now she can be my sister properly, we just need to find you a good match and I'll be fully content." I was still troubled that Angela's far future was clouded from me. As hard as I tried I could never get a vision of Angela's possible fate, and all I could conjure was the immediate stuff that would happen in a day or a week.

"Keep dreaming. The only guy I've liked in the last year was Ben, and he couldn't even summon the courage to help me when I was trying to keep Bella from hurting herself. Oh by the way did anyone but me remember it was Bella's birthday a few days ago."

"You'll find someone I promise." I felt myself giggle at her, "I was forbidden from throwing her an early birthday party, but that doesn't extend… oh I can do something now thanks Ang, I'll keep in touch I promise." An impromptu birthday party, I knew Bella would never see it coming.

"You better, I'll talk to you soon." She sounded sad, I didn't want to stop talking but I really did have to organize a surprise birthday party in less then... I conjured up their arrival, and glanced at the clock in my vision. I always found it funny how I could alter my own future that way. I had less then thirty-five minutes.

"Almost one day exactly, you'll call at twelve fifty-five pm. You're parents will go the store and you'll give me a call to check up on Bella. Talk to you tomorrow." Angela paused for a long second, and then continued in a strange voice.

"Oh... kay, later Alice." She sounded confused and a little unsure of her words. I chuckled I had spaced that she wasn't aware of any of our little gifts.

"Oh I have visions of the future. I hope that clears things up. Talk to you tomorrow, bye-bye!" And I closed my phone without another word.

I looked around the house for a moment sizing up the space and making plans for my decorations. Next I rushed around the house searching for those decorations, and then I put them up in record time. I ran into the kitchen to search for ingredients for a cake, and then I realized it was a silly endeavor. As I was giving up I felt a random vision push into my mind. I scrambled for a chair and missed. As I started to fall a steady set of hands caught me. Jasper's relaxing scent surrounded me and I let myself succumb to the vision.

The large field was not unknown to me. It was our favorite place to play baseball. There were ten of us there, I could feel the number more than see it, but the two additional faces were obscured from my sight. I felt the clouds overhead heave and a loud thunder clap erupted above us. I heard myself say, "It's time." Then we started to play. Four innings in and my team was up, when I felt another vision hit me. This forced me out of my current vision with a snap. It always gave me a headache when that happened.

"Well were playing baseball soon." I said as casually as I could manage. Jasper smiled at me.

"Good, I can't wait." He always loved when we were able to play.

"Something is going to happen there, and we'll have two extra players." I threw out the information as if it bore no more importance then the game itself.

"Could you see who they were?" He seemed curious, but not overtly so.

"Not at all." Jasper shrugged and I chuckled, we always had something like this kind of exchange when I had a vision. "And crap I feel another one coming." This one was far stronger, it slammed into my consciousness like a freight train causing me to convulse in pain.

The doorbell to the house rang; all of us were waiting tensely for some kind of arrival. I was the first to my feet but Carlisle held up a patient hand. Quickly he walked to the door and opened it. The stranger wasn't especially tall, but he was solid and well built. He wore his long snow white hair held back in a simple pony tail, his slightly olive completion wasn't sickly pale, and his face was angular with striking Grecian features. He was wearing casual clothes that were obviously finely crafted using expensive fabrics. But his eyes were what drew my attention. He had human eyes. They were a mismatched blue and brown and extremely expressive. I couldn't delineate the man standing before me and the distinctive vampiric scent he gave off. He smiled at us all, and then quickly examined our faces with interest, finally resting on Bella for several seconds before speaking. "Good evening." And just as abruptly as it started the vision faded.

"Oh wow, were going to have a very interesting visitor." My voice was shaky, and it was a comfort having Jasper holding me tightly. I looked up into his eyes and frowned as I realized concern had painted his face into a grimace of pain. He hated it when my visions were this severe. I forced a slight chuckle then attempted to put some levity in my tone, "for such an intense one it was a very simple vision. He'll be arriving later this evening, and we'll all be there."

"Do you think he is one of the other two in the baseball vision?" A helpful suggestion but it made me scrunch up my nose in concentration. I focused on the two visions, in an attempt to uncover information about the first one. Nothing gave.

"Possible, unfortunately I have no idea." I shook my head with annoyance. I hated when my visions weren't specific.

"Is he a threat?" He asked with concern on his face.

"Again possible, my vision didn't go that far. But I've always felt when we were in danger, and this doesn't feel like that." I shrugged, but didn't bother trying to right myself. I was still wrapped in his strong arms, although now it was more like lounging.

"That's good, but hardly reassuring. I love you but your visions can be frustrating at times." He smirked at me.

"You're telling me." And I leaned up and kissed my husband with passion. I loved our quiet moments when no one could see us. He was the most generous man I had ever met, and he treated me like a lady at all times. The rest of the house gave us a few seconds of embrace before filing into the kitchen. Jasper set me on my feet and pulled out a chair for me, even though I no longer needed it. I sat down without hesitation and smiled as my family arrived one by one. Carlisle took the lead as usual.

"I only caught a part of your description. I didn't want to interfere with your privacy. What is in store for us Alice?" His face was finally free of the strain he had been holding in since his choice to change Bella. But he still looked concerned.

"Well first were going to have a birthday party for our Bella. Then we're going to have a visitor tonight at around nine o'clock. I'm not sure how to describe him; he looks almost human, but is definitely one of us." I glanced at each of their faces for reaction. Carlisle was intrigued, Esme looked worried, Rosalie ambivalent, Emmett was smiling as was usual whenever a fight might break out, and Jasper was now keeping himself neutral. He didn't like to worry me with his own concerns.

"That explains your frantic decorating, so why are we throwing Bella a birthday party?" Rosalie had barely removed the usual disdain from her voice.

"Because it was her birthday the day of the surgery, and only Angela remembered. I want to welcome her into our family correctly if you have a problem with that Rose, tough luck, because the rest of us have already accepted Bella as one of us, even Emmett." She shrugged and looked at Emmett for a moment.

"I have no problem with Bella. If she makes Edward happy then I'll like her. But she seems to change her mind a lot, so until I know for sure she isn't going to up and leave him I'm remaining neutral." I blinked, that was the first time I'd ever heard Rose stand up for our family, especially Edward in that way. I could feel the gazes of everyone else on her as well. "What, can't I be protective of my family? Contrary to popular belief I do love you all."

Carlisle smiled broadly at her, and Esme pulled her into a hug. Rose rolled her eyes but as she embraced Esme she closed them and her expression softened to one of joy. As much as Rosalie protested and thought of herself most days, she very much existed as a part of our family. And Carlisle and Esme were the parents she always wanted.

"We know you do Rose, and I'm happy that you're worried about Edward." Esme kept an arm around Rosalie as she reassured her.

"To placate your worries some, Bella doesn't change her mind very easily. She is in fact the most stubborn, unmoving, and frustrating people I've ever meet once she makes a decision. And her choice is Edward. She really does love him, even when she was treating him with resentment, I could tell she loved him. I really think you'll learn to love her Rose; she compliments our family quite well. If only I could come up with a reason to change Angela, then I'd be perfectly happy." I grinned as I began to think of excuses and plots to get Angela in a situation where she needed to be changed. Unfortunately most of them required her to be hurt badly and I couldn't bring myself to even consider those.

"Alice, we don't talk randomly about changing humans. It's bad manners." Although Esme scolded me, she didn't seem upset by the comment. And I couldn't help but smirk, because none of the rest of them protested my sentiment either.

"Have you all picked out your presents yet, they'll be arriving back here in a minute or so?" I changed the subject a little, returning to the party at hand. Everyone nodded, even Rosalie. Then they dashed to separate parts of the house and all returned to the great room where the decorations were centered. Everyone piled their exquisitely wrapped presents on a table I had set up for gifts, and then I shushed the room. The door opened softly, Edward was the first one through followed by Bella. I cringed at the state of her and her dress which torn and bloody. I rushed over and covered her eyes quickly. She squeaked a bit and I dragged her upstairs. As I uncovered her eyes she leveled a withering glare in my direction.

"What's this all about? Why did you just drag me to… your closet?" Her emotions changed in a split second from livid to confusion.

"We're getting you into a new dress, because that one is completely un-salvageable. You'll need to get a shower since you're an utter mess. But first!" I looked and found a blue silk dress that would partially fit her, and would need only minor alterations. I measured her and made the adjustments in a minute, and then I pushed her into my bathroom to shower. She seemed to dawdle for a long while so I waited just inside the door with a towel ready for her. She looked a little startled, when she came out but wrapped the towel around herself and followed me willingly to my vanity. I spent several minutes playing wither her mane of hair, pulling it up and giving it some style. Then I splashed on a bit of makeup to emphasize her features then I led her to her new dress and gave her a bit of privacy to put it on.

"Close your eyes and follow my lead." I clasped her hand greedily happy with the little bit of contact.

"Okay." She said dubiously. I led her downstairs checking to make sure she was complying with my wishes to keep her eyes closed. Then I positioned her to get the best effect of the room and danced over to the rest of the family. Edward looked a little sheepish; he had apparently forgotten her birthday. But a beautifully wrapped present that wasn't there before meant that he was definitely prepared for it.

"Open your eyes." I could barely keep my excitement in check as I waited for her reaction. Bella cautiously opened her eyes and a look of horror came over her face as she realized what the occasion was. I felt my face fall, but kept my tone excited.

"Happy birthday Bella!" I was joined in the sentiment by the rest of the family. She cocked her head slightly, in same way she used to blush.

"Thank you all, you really didn't have to go to the trouble. For once I thought everyone forgot." She looked modest, and resigned to the attention.

"Blame Angela, most of us were so wrapped up in your transformation that it slipped our minds." I smirked at her. Bella rolled her eyes and muttered something unintelligible under her breath.

"I did remember, but I wasn't going to give you your gift. Although there is a wrapped one over there for you, I think I'll keep my promise instead." Bella looked at Edward with a touch of mirth and more than a little trepidation. Then he moved over to the piano and began to play. This was a new composition, and it was beautiful. The song was lilting and soft, and the melody was very easy on the ears. Edward poured his heart into the piece, and it was obvious who it was for. As I listened I could almost feel him describe his love for her. She moved over silently and sat next to him. After a few seconds she closed her eyes and listened motionlessly. When he was done she turned to kiss him deeply, but it wasn't a passionate kiss it was a soulful one. He closed his eyes as he embraced her, and as they separated they rested their foreheads together.

"Okay present time!" I shouted to break up the lovey-dovey moment that would probably last for far longer than I had patience for. They smiled and laughed a little, and then Bella got up and came over to me and hugged me tightly.

"Thanks for the party." She said with such genuine sincerity that I felt phantom tears well up in my eyes.

"My pleasure." I felt giddy; I was finally getting the hug I wanted from my new sister.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eight: Firsts**

_(Bella POV)_

The forest was exhilarating. Running was even better. The sights and sounds were amazing, and the detail with which I could see only made the desire to see more palpable. The sounds I could hear echoing off the trees and canopy overhead made me want to press my ear to every surface I could see. Then there were the smells, I never knew the beauty of a smell before. How can you describe the scent of a rabbit as it runs with fear and adrenaline coursing through its veins? There were more things surrounding me then I had ever realized before, and none of them were what I thought they would be.

This wasn't a gift, this was a revelation. Nothing about the change so far had been for the worse, my body no longer hurt. I could move in ways I never could've dreamt of doing before. And everything was more intense. It wasn't just the sights and sounds; it was the textures and tastes as well. My sense of smell had increased to the point where I could literally taste the air around me. There were no words to express the sensation, it was like tasting life.

After spending a couple of hours in the forest, Edward caught the scent of a predator. I had fun trailing my new prey, mimicking Edward's movements. It was far too easy to sneak up on the cat, especially since its attention was focused almost entirely on a small herd of deer drinking from a small creek. He motioned for me to watch so I crouched patiently for him to make his move. Then he moved in silently, rendering the cat immobile in less than a second. Then he bit into the animal's thick flesh and wrapped his lips around the wound. In a strange sense of instinct I stopped breathing. Somehow I knew that I wouldn't be able to resist the blood if I smelled it.

The act was something I had seen dozens of times in the movies, but this was different. I was a vampire, and soon I would have to actually drink blood. The grotesque and slightly sensual way Edward drained the poor animal was hard to watch. But he didn't kill it. Instead he stopped and beckoned me with his eyes. I stopped myself from taking a deep breath and moved over to him. He cut off the flow of blood with his finger and nodded towards the wound. As I got closer I let my breath go, and took in the smell of the blood for the first time.

My throat erupted in flame, and I felt my body moving almost against my will towards the wound. As I bit down Edward released the vein and a flood of the most delicious liquid I had ever tasted flowed into my mouth. I had no trouble drinking greedily, and had to be pulled away as the animal ran dry. Edward chuckled at me as I looked around for more. He glanced towards the deer and waited for me to act. I shrugged off the idea of stealth and ran as fast as I could towards the healthiest of the herd. The target wasn't hard to pinpoint, the young male smelled cleaner the then the other two. But he was partially hidden in the protective shadows of the adults flanking him.

Edward intercepted the adult directly in my path leaving my prey wide open for my attack. As I closed in I crossed a new scent trail, this made the musky and slightly distasteful deer seem utterly vile in comparison. I turned and followed my instincts, using my new body to push myself to boundaries I couldn't fully comprehend. The speed and distance I traveled seemed irrelevant, even though in the back of my mind I realized it was quite far from where I was merely seconds before. As I closed on my new prey the smell grew stronger, and my lust for it grew as well.

Suddenly I ran into something hard that knocked me to the forest floor. Instincts took over and I lashed out at the attacker. Edward dodged out of the way just as my nails closed within an inch of his perfect flesh. As soon as I recognized my love I felt my mind reassert control over my body. He was in a low crouch braced to deflect me again. I closed off my lungs realizing instantly what the scent was, human.

"Oh god I'm so sorry Edward." He blinked and looked at me like I was insane. After a couple of seconds his expression melted to one of awe.

"Bella, you stopped." He was staring at me with such love and pride that I felt the old impulse to blush. Instead I just mimicked my old mannerisms, and felt a pang of disappointment that the blood no longer flooded to my cheeks.

"Of course I stopped, I can't go after people. I'm sorry I lashed out at you, it felt like the right thing to do." I needed him to understand that it wasn't him I was attacking, it was just an instinct. But he just turned his lips into his beautiful crooked smirk that I fell in love with, and straightened up from his crouch.

"God I love you. You are simply amazing." He walked towards me and kissed me softly. I pushed into him and kissed him fiercely. My hand began to wonder over his body, and after a moment his began to do the same. I pulled away from him and looked into his liquid topaz eyes; this was a moment I wasn't expecting so soon.

"I'm ready, but I don't know what to do." He looked at me and his eyes softened and the crooked smirk turned into a sympathetic one.

"Let me show you something, the clouds are parting frequently and it's a full moon tonight." He took my hand and ran in the opposite direction. I followed him with ease, and as we moved away from the intoxicating aroma I let myself breathe again. Curiosity and nervousness crept up my spine, I felt like I was a child and everything was romantic again. This dream of a man was mine, and I was his. Nothing he could say or do would change this.

There were three things I was absolutely sure about. First, I felt true happiness for the first time in my life. Second, I knew that the change was right, it felt too perfect not to be. And third, I was completely and irrevocably in love with Edward. We broke the tree line and entered a perfect clearing. The trees lined the place in a nearly perfect circle. Little flowers of yellow and blue littered the tall grass in a patchwork of random geometric designs. All of which were swaying softly in a warm breeze. I realized we had stopped moving and I looked over at Edward.

"This is my special place. I come here when I want to be alone. I've never shared it with anyone before." He turned to look deeply into my eyes; I almost flinched at the intensity of his gaze.

"It's lovely, I don't have words Edward." He walked towards me slowly, using carefully measured steps. As we embraced I felt a spark connect between us, and I knew that this was the moment I had waited for.

Every second in that field was etched permanently into my memory. It was the most blissful, emotional, and tender experience I had ever had. Afterwards we lay in the soft grass and looked up at the clouds as they parted, revealing the full moon for the first time that evening. The soft light picked up on tiny crevices in Edward's skin that began to glow ever so slightly. I gasped in awe as his flesh took on a luminescent quality akin to finely cut diamonds. It was very subtle, and I guessed it wouldn't be obvious to someone with lesser senses.

I reached out to touch him and caught sight of my own arm and was shocked to see that it had the same glowing quality to it. I sat up and looked at myself, and marveled at the beauty of my new body.

"Wait until you see it in daylight, we may be undead monsters but it is an amazing thing to see." He smirked crookedly at me.

"We're not monsters, and we're not dead. I feel too alive for either to be true." Edward examined my expression for several seconds. Then he furrowed his brow and frowned.

"I want to feel the same, I really do. But I've seen too much to discount the truth that we are nature's best and most perfect predator. If that doesn't make us monsters, then what are we?"

"Different, there is nothing wrong with being different. Just because a person has a birth defect or a deformity doesn't make them less human. Now granted were more than a little removed from a birth defect, but I can't believe were not natural. Although we may not be human anymore we have to be something. I've never really been sure about god, but I can be sure that I'm not a corpse. No corpse can feel what we just shared." He chuckled slightly and nodded.

"Maybe you're right. You know I love you, and I will never forget tonight. Have I told you how beautiful you are?" I lowered my head in a blush again, but shook my head in protest.

"Yes, but I like it. And I feel the same. Although, you're trying to avoid the topic. Edward we are not soulless monsters, I just know it." He sighed and pushed a stray strand of hair from my face, then traced my chin line to my lips.

"I know one thing. There is no way I could believe that you are a monster. So I guess I'm going to have to live with my new non-monster status." I leaned in and kissed him again. Then I pulled back as I realized how long we had been gone.

"We should probably be getting back. I promised I would hug everyone. And I can almost feel Alice having a conniption fit." I smiled widely imagining Alice bouncing impatiently by the door.

"Yeah, we'll come back here I promise." He caressed my neck and kissed me again. I pulled back again with a sigh, my lower lip pouting slightly.

"We better, and next time we should come during the day. I want to see what you mean." Another random thought crossed my mind. "By the way are you all going back to school?" He sighed loudly and frowned.

"Probably, if we're going to stay then we need to keep up appearances." He rolled his eyes in frustration and shook his head with a smirk. "I wonder what our little group will become without you there."

"I have no idea." I said with vague curiosity. Another random thought had crossed my mind. "Do I have to worry about getting pregnant?" His face fell a little and he looked at me sadly.

"Unfortunately no, we are kind of frozen in place. We can never have children." He seemed a little dejected with this admission. It was obviously something he didn't want to discuss with me yet.

"I'm okay with it, I never wanted kids. But I can tell it was something you didn't want to tell me. I'm perfectly happy with the change, I really am. You have given me a gift that I can never repay, I love this more then you'll ever know. If there was anything that I could do to re-balance all of this I would do it in a heartbeat." I smiled at him sincerely; I wanted him to know that I was genuine in my sentiments.

"There is one thing." He paused oddly unsure of himself, "but it should be in no way thought of as required… no I mean." He cleared his throat and shook his head. "Never mind it is far too soon for that."

"You brought it up, so it must be on your mind." I glared at him incredulously.

"No really, it is far too soon for that. It was just… look I promise to let you know just not today." He was trying to back out of something and if it was what I guessed then it was probably for the best. I wanted him for eternity, but I couldn't say yes to a marriage proposal the first day we were officially together.

"Okay, but you better I have a long memory." He nodded at me and smiled softly. I held in a sigh of relief, and then pushed myself up from the ground. I searched the ground for the tattered remnants of my dress, and the tiny piece of cloth I found looked pathetic in the moonlight. It had two large tears running up each seam from the bottom hem, and the front was caked in a dark red stain. I grimaced as I pulled it over my head.

"Don't worry. Alice will put you in something new probably before you even cross the threshold into the house." I giggled a little and shook my head at the imagery. Then he held out his hand and we took off towards the house.

The trip back took far less time than the trip out, and within minutes we were crossing the river at the edge of the back lawn. Edward opened the door and a tiny hand covered my eyes before I could even see the interior of the house. I felt myself dragged upstairs before she finally pulled her hand away from my eyes.

"What's this all about? Why did you just drag me to… your closet?" I felt livid at first but as I looked around I felt myself shift from anger to confusion.

"We're getting you into a new dress, because that one is completely unsalvageable. You'll need to get a shower since you're an utter mess. But first!" She turned and looked around the ridiculously large closet. In short order she found a gorgeous blue silk dress. Then she pulled out a measuring tape from nowhere and proceeded to get my measurements. After that she placed the dress on a table and within a minute she had adjusted the dress to fit me. Then she shooed me into the bathroom which was larger then my bedroom at Charlie's place.

I took my time playing with the digital settings to find the perfect temperature. Then I basked in the sensation of thousands droplets hitting my flesh repeatedly. I had thought a shower was a pleasure before, now it was like having a thousand fingers caressing me all at once. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation, then felt the tears that had been lurking in the background finally emerge. All the pain was gone, I was with the man I loved, but I had to completely sacrifice both my family and my life for it. As happy as I felt, I couldn't reconcile the guilt from the joy. Then the sobs came up from my chest and to my dismay no tears formed. Yet another thing that stood me apart from human. I almost laughed, and then I pulled myself together and finished bathing.

Reluctantly I stepped out of the shower to find Alice waiting for me with a towel held out for modesty. I wrapped it around my new body and let her lead me to a vanity and played with my hair. The entire time I stared at the stranger in the mirror. The angled lines of her face only partially resembled my old face, and the bright crimson eyes were creepy to look directly into. But there was no denying the fact that she was ravishingly beautiful. I felt a wave of humbleness and humility, either I had never seen myself before or the change had transformed me completely. After Alice finished making me into a movie star she reached out her hand with barely contained impatience. I stood and she led me to the bedroom again and let me get dressed in the altered gown. I felt like I was going to a ball, although the pattern was simple, it was such a beautiful dress that I felt awkward in it. Then she held out her hand.

"Close your eyes and follow my lead." I obeyed, and took her outstretched hand. As I grasped it she intertwined her slender fingers through mine.

"Okay." I said ready to follow. She reversed her direction from before but this time I went more willingly. I wanted to peek, but she was obviously trying to surprise me with something… then it dawned on me, my birthday was only a few days ago. I wanted to pull away and run, but it was too late as my foot came off the final step. Alice guided me into the center of the room and grabbed a hold of my shoulders to turn me to face a specific direction. And then she was gone, a split second later I heard her voice from several feet in front of me.

"Open your eyes." Alice said enthusiastically. I opened them slowly and stared in shock at the room which was like a birthday explosion. Tasteful and expensive decorations littered every corner, and to one side a table had a small pile of presents all elegantly wrapped in similar purple and silver packaging. Only one stood out, it was a large square one with gold and black paper.

"Happy birthday Bella!" The family spoke in unison and then I locked eyes with Edward as he shrugged in sympathy. I felt the attention acutely and felt myself automatically blush again. It still felt odd not to have the heat in my cheeks to accompany the reaction.

"Thank you all, you really didn't have to go to the trouble. For once I thought everyone forgot." I felt a wave of modesty crash over me, the attention was almost overwhelming. Then I repressed a sigh and resigned myself to the occasion, I would try to have fun even if I disliked the event.

"Blame Angela, most of us were so wrapped up in your transformation that it slipped our minds." I rolled my eyes, and muttered under my breath_, "figures blabbermouth."_

"I did remember, but I wasn't going to give you your gift. Although there is a wrapped one over there for you, I think I'll keep my promise instead." Edward looked sincere and I felt myself smirk at him. Then I remembered with trepidation the comment he made earlier about a gift for me. He walked quickly over to the grand piano and began to play.

My heart almost beat again as his fingers danced over the keys. I felt drawn to him and let my feet follow that instinct. I sat by his side and closed my eyes and held my breath, to let the music invade my ears without any other distraction. The music was beyond beautiful, and the composition was unlike anything I had ever heard before. Every note was played with precision and it was so intricate that it no longer sounded like a single instrument. It took me a while to realize that he had written it, and it was meant for me. Suddenly the entire piece took on new meaning, and I understood that he was expressing his feelings for me in the language he was most comfortable with. I closed my eyes to feel his words more clearly because I needed to know how he felt.

When his fingers finally lifted off the last key I was in a dizzy place full of difficult emotions. I was over my head in love and I knew I had no choice in the matter because I was lost to him completely. I opened my eyes and leaned into him, kissing him so deeply that it felt like I was giving him my soul. The emotional connection was palpable, and I had to lean against him for support afterwards. Our foreheads pressed together in a way that made it feel like we were one person instead of two. I didn't want to pull away from him, but Alice forced us apart.

"Ok present time!" She sounded a little impatient. Edward and I smiled and laughed together as we ended our moment. Then I got up and crossed the room to my little waif of a sister.

"Thanks for the party." I tried to pour every ounce of sincerity I could into my words.

"My pleasure." She said with an almost giddy laughter. She seemed so happy that I liked her effort that I couldn't resist hugging her. I wrapped my arms around her tightly and held her in an embrace I reserved only for my close family. Then her body went limp, I kept hold of her but pulled away so I could see her face. Her eyes were blank and her face was contorted in pain. I looked over at Jasper who was already in motion.

"Just hold her she'll be ok in a moment." Jasper placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder as I picked up and cradled Alice gently to the couch.

"What's happening to her?" I was confused and afraid, and I didn't understand what was happening.

"She's having a vision of the future. It's her gift." Jasper gave me a sympathetic nod as I absorbed this information.

"Are you all gifted?" I asked with conflicted curiosity. I wanted to know, but I was worried about Alice. Carlisle shook his head at me and smiled.

"No, only Alice, Jasper, and Edward have special abilities." He elaborated. I nodded uncertain of what to think.

"I'm ok, I think." Alice came out of her fugue and blinked several times before looking around the room with an expression of mild horror.

"What did you see?" Carlisle spoke up and I glanced over at him briefly before returning my gaze to back towards Alice.

"I'm not sure, I saw fire and death. If we don't change the course of events we're on, than some of us will die, and I can't see how it happens." I looked up at Edward, his eyes were closed and his face was a mask of devastation.

"You didn't see anything that would give us a clue?" Carlisle continued, and then Alice closed her eyes. After a second she shook her head.

"No, I can't see anything it was cloudy with snippets of images. They were very dark, and I really don't want to think about them." Alice shook her head again in protest, and then looked like she was crying although no tears fell from her eyes.

"By the way it's almost nine. Our visitor should be arriving shortly." Alice quickly bounded to her feet as she gathered herself together. In a matter of seconds she started to look like her normal perky self.

"There is no reason for you to hide Bella, he is one of us." She smiled at me, and I felt a strange comprehension as if I finally began to understand her.

Then a firm knock came at the front door. Carlisle raised his hand and we all followed him to the door. Then he opened it on a beautiful man with white hair and mismatched eyes. For a second I thought he was human, until I caught a whiff of his scent. There was no mistaking his vampiric nature. He smiled at us all, and then quickly examined our faces with interest, finally resting on mine for several seconds before speaking.

"Good evening. I imagine my coming here is both random and unexpected. I am new to the area and I would like to introduce myself. My name is Max, and it's a great pleasure to meet all of you." Then he bowed his head slightly in greeting and waited for us to react.


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine: The Stranger**

_(Max POV)_

"Why are you staring at her?" The bronze haired boy looked defensive of his obvious mate. His posture and position partially in front of her made it obvious. Jealousy and affection in our kind was uncommon but not all together unusual.

"My apologies, I was just observing that she is the young woman I read about this morning. You are Isabella Swan?" All of them seemed momentarily agitated so I thought I would put their minds at ease. "I have no intention of making an issue of it; I was only making an observation. At the very least I didn't mean to sound accusatory. I would very much like to start on the proverbial right foot, especially since there is no need to defend an induction. May I come in and get to know you better?" Nervous and antiquated, I knew I should've worked on my introductions.

"I also don't mean to be rude, please come in Mr. King." The blonde man in the center of his coven was obviously the leader, or possibly the patriarch. They nearly all had his scent, perhaps all of them were his children. Save two exceptions, the tiny female and her scarred mate. They seemed to be a firm part of this coven, yet were distinctly separate. Their stories were very likely to be interesting, so I made a mental note to ask them to relate those stories at some point down the road.

"You must be Carlisle?" His pleasant face hardened slightly and he was obviously trying to make a connection that wasn't there. I was ahead of myself again, and I had to be careful not to reveal too much about myself. Yet for some reason I felt safe with them. "I believe we have a mutual acquaintance."

"We do? Who might that be, and I'm assuming they told you about me. Would you care to enlighten us as to what they said?" He tried to be friendly but his expression was still too hard.

"Aro, and I must say you have amassed quite a coven here Carlisle. Aro was right to be impressed with you. He mentioned that you were beautiful and compassionate, and refused to give into the impulses of our kind." Thinking back to my old child was never pleasant. But Aro had given me hope once a long time ago. This Carlisle could be the salvation I had been searching for.

"Family is a better descriptor. You know Aro?" He had let me into the foyer, and then led me into the living area. But he stayed between me and his coven, his emotional connection to them was almost physical. Family did seem like a better description, but I had to be sure.

"He was an acquaintance. Although not anymore, I don't hold the same values as the Volturi, and I despise their methods." Carlisle nodded at me in agreement, and then his face soured as he puzzled over my statement.

"Please excuse my lack of hospitality, please sit. We are all greatly intrigued by you." They didn't seem surprised by my visit. I took a seat in one of the stand alone chairs which proved to be quite comfortable. Then I positioned myself so that none of them were behind me. Wary of an ambush or an attack, I extended my powers to search their intent, emotions, and gifts if any. Much to my surprise, the first thing to hit me was a wave of goodness; there was no ill intent in any of their hearts. I let down my guard a little, and sighed. But what impressed me more than their intentions, were their gifts. This family was extremely special. They were already gifted with telepathy, empathy, precognition, and a powerful mental shield. But the latent powers of the rest of them also sparked my interest.

"Thank you, I haven't been around those I would consider kindred spirits in a long time." Carlisle nodded, the rest of the family separated from the group. Pairing off in four groups of lovers, yet each expressed that connection in a different way, and there was something more. I had to know why they were so different. So reluctantly I tapped into the power of the telepath to get an impression of this... family.

"_Aro never spoke of him. I wonder who he is."_ Carlisle pondered.

"_Why is he so different?"_ The large one, thought, _"I wonder if I could take him if I needed to?"_

"_I'm not feeling anything hostile, maybe he is a friend. If he makes a move,_ _I'll have to cover Emmett's flank. This could get messy if he goes for Bella, she is so unsure of her own power yet." _The blonde male with all the scars strategized privately, his face neutral and stern.

"_He is exactly like I saw him; I hope he's a friend. Maybe he will be perfect for Angela."_ The tiny dark haired girl pondered, as she examined me thoughtfully.

"_His mind is blocked, why can't I read him? First Bella and now… am I losing my gift." _ The copper haired boy questioned, his troubles came through in his dower expression. Bella looked up at him and squeezed his hand. I tried to focus on her and almost smirked to realize she was the shield I felt earlier.

"_Carlisle seems to trust him, as long as he doesn't hurt my children I can accept him."_ The slightly older woman was obviously the mother figure, and the emotions she expressed suddenly made me realize the true difference between this family and other covens. It was real love, not obsession or false affection, or even jealousy painted as love. Most of the time, the dark shades of emotions lingered from the remnants of our humanity. Those vestigial impulses are carved deeply into the core of our kind. But this love they had for each other was full, vibrant, and powerful. Their bond was very much one of a family. Still, as I felt myself take a deep sigh of relief, and draw my power from the telepath, I caught a stray thought from the beautiful blonde.

"_First Bella, then the wolves, and now this stranger, what else are we going to have to deal with?"_ She seemed shallow on the surface, but held a deep well of compassion for those around her. Involuntarily I went stiff, by the off-handed way she tossed about the idea of werewolves in the area. Feeling as if I had already crossed too many lines, but seeing little choice. I searched the all of their memories in an attempt to glean what information I could about these wolves. Eventually I stumbled upon the truth in the mind of the telepath.

The wolves were all part of a Native American tribe that made their home near the ocean. But unlike Alex and the rest of his kind, these wolves derived their power from a form of ancient ancestry magic. No infection turned them into monsters. These were noble beasts, and it seemed their only goal was to protect their people. If I had encountered them alone I would've hidden myself, now I was almost intrigued and determined to meet them. Then I noticed a deep underlying concern attached to these wolves. It was linked entirely to Bella, and her recent change. Digging deeper I found that their treaty stipulated that no human could be bitten or turned by Carlisle's family. Not needing anything more, and already feeling guilty for pushing that far, I withdrew from the telepath's mind, and relinquished any control I had over his power.

"May I ask how long it has been since you've been around, kindred spirits?" Carlisle broke the short silence, nearly startling me. I smiled at him and thought about his question before continuing.

"Quite some time. I would prefer not to elaborate, I don't like to dwell too much on my past. The memories are not pleasant for me." I smiled weakly and looked down at my hands. I could almost see the blood on them, centuries later and I could almost smell it.

"That's fair, I've had my share of painful memories." I could tell by the tone of his voice that he really did understand my feelings. I raised my eyes to meet his and felt a connection to him. This place was more than familiar, in a strange way It had the feeling of home. Which was something I hadn't felt since Samantha's death. I needed to change the subject, so I forced the change by bringing up a concern.

"You are all very unique. I have never met a _family_ like yours before. Even my own coven wasn't so close. I envy you in a way. You must be very tempting to the Volturi, because you are all so special. But I have to ask the rest of you, is this a choice that each of you made? Or was the idea of forgoing your natural instincts an involuntary one? Has Carlisle influenced your feeding habits by force or coercion?" Carlisle seemed mortified which answered my question without words. But each member of his family stepped forward in protest.

"He would never! Carlisle isn't like that!" The large one was brash in his defense of his father.

"Emmett's right, we were all given a choice. And we all chose this life." The mother defended her family fervently.

"What about that young one?" I glanced at Bella. She raised an eyebrow and stepped forward. One of her hands still intertwined with the telepath's.

"I haven't been given a direct choice, but I haven't been forced by any stretch. Even without their influence I would never purposefully hurt anyone. If you're going to make accusations, then you should probably leave." She looked to the faces of her family for reassurance, and they all looked at her with pride. They were all so young, and so passionate. I felt an odd yet deep desire, no it was almost a painful need, to join this family. They were everything that I had spent ages in search of.

"It was never my intention to accuse, only to acquire information. You see, I can't stand by if a leader forces his people to do his bidding. No matter if his intentions were noble, choice is an absolute requirement to this existence. It is something I have fought for, in fact it's almost my raison d'être." My voice was solemn and serious.

"I think I understand. You're an ancient aren't you?" Carlisle nodded, and I smiled at his intuition.

"That is very perceptive Carlisle. If I may ask, would you introduce me to your family? I would very much like to meet them." Too perceptive, I would need to be careful how much I told them.

"Very well. Only, and I speak for the entire family on this, that we are very curious about you. Would you be willing to expound upon yourself a little, any information would be appreciated." I nodded slightly, and then he continued. "This is my wife Esme." The mother stepped up and wrapped a protective arm around Carlisle's waist. "And this is my first son Edward, and his beloved Bella." It was nice to put a name to the mind I had invaded.

"I'm Emmett, and this is my wife Rosalie." The large one hugged the beautiful blonde who rolled her eyes at him.

"And I'm Alice, and the grumpy one here is my Jasper." Alice danced forward breaking the grasp of the scarred man and held out a steady hand to me. There was no mistaking that she was definitely the precognitive. I shook her hand and smiled at her kindly. She broke contact politely and quickly returned to Jasper's side.

"It is a great pleasure to meet all of you. I guess I should explain my visit. But first, at your request, I'll explain myself a little. I apologize if I was evasive before, but I am more than acquainted with Aro. He is, in fact, my blood." I waited for their reactions. They seemed to take the information in stride, but their reserved expressions made me think they were repressing shock. Carlisle spoke up after a couple of seconds.

"I've never heard of one of our kind being so old. You don't look like an ancient. In fact you don't even look like one of us." His question had merit, and deserved an answer. But I wasn't sure how much to tell them. So I nodded at him and thought about it carefully.

"To be honest I'm not sure how much I should tell you. I know I look quite a bit different from others who have reached a substantial age. But I attribute that to the fact that for a vast majority of my life I have feed exclusively off the blood of animals. My eyes, well that is a particular talent of mine, and it would difficult to explain in full." I flashed my external power briefly revealing my golden eyes. They all looked contented and a little startled. I felt bad that it was only half the truth, but it seemed to be good enough for now.

"That is some trick." Carlisle looked at me thoughtfully but still apprehensive, this wasn't a group I was going to win over in an evening.

"That was merely an extension of my gift. I don't mean to put you ill at ease. I am here for one reason, to find a place of peace. I wish to live in this area perhaps permanently, and I need your blessing before settling in. In time I promise, when trust is gained on both sides, I will tell you my life story. But now, is not that time." I spoke from the heart and hoped that they understood my concerns and desires.

"Well then," he looked quickly around the room meeting the eyes of each of his family. They all gave him an unspoken look. It wasn't hard to grasp that they were voting. It was a nice conformation, to see that he wasn't their ruler at all. Even Bella seemed to understand and vote. "I see no reason to say no, you are welcome to make your home here Max. I hope to get to know you better."

"Thank you for your gracious hospitality." I stood and walked casually over to Carlisle who had never sat down. He held out a hand, and I clasped it firmly. Then in a moment of monumental importance for me, he shook my hand cementing his acceptance.


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten: Questions and Answers**

_(Esme POV)_

My Bella, when she opened her eyes it was the most amazing feeling. It was the first time since Carlisle brought me into this existence, that I felt like my family was complete, well almost. Alice was right. Bella needed a companion and a friend to share her inner most thoughts with. I urged him to include Angela in Bella's secret. Then Alice challenged my perceptions again by mentioning the idea of changing her. Suddenly I was obsessed with the selfish vision of seeing my family grow to include her. Then this perfect stranger entered our lives.

Max seemed almost too good to be true, and although I've never been a matchmaker, he seemed to be perfect for my final potential daughter. Only there were too many unknowns, and too many possible outcomes to make a decision for her. Would Angela accept us as her family, when she was so attached to her human life? I could not in good conscience condemn her to immortality if the cost was her happiness. That wouldn't give her the life she deserved.

Then there was the problem with children, what if she wanted to be a mother? Rosalie would argue that point until the end of time, that children were important, and neither possibility could lead to both motherhood and immortality. My head was spinning as Max explained his likeness in temperament and habits to our own. I wondered if he was alone, or had he brought a companion. It seemed unlikely that he wouldn't mention a mate if she, or he, was to live here too.

I thought of Tanya, Irina, and Katie but none of them fit him well, at least judging by his surface demeanor. Angela's quiet compassion and beautiful soul were far too perfect. Perhaps the simple goal would be to introduce them, and then maybe the situation would play out on its own. Just, I couldn't. There was no way I would suffer Angela to the fate of an unknown. So my first task would be to make sure he was genuine, and I would need to use my least favorite tactic, manipulation.

The night wore on, and after his introduction, he told us several anecdotes that had everyone in stitches. He was witty and intelligent, and in spite of myself I felt him beginning to grow on me. Eventually the party began to break up and I grabbed my opportunity to talk to him in private. Carlisle gave me an odd look as I dragged Max into the kitchen.

"I assume you want to talk?" He was definitely amused by my insistence, and I was again struck by his strange mismatched human eyes that were full of mirth.

"I know you are still guarded about your life, there is no way you could explain it all in a single evening anyway. But I need to know you are a friend. Could I ask you a few questions?" I could see Jasper lingering by the stairway outside of the kitchen entryway. He noticed my expression and nodded at me. Our old game of lie detector was a refreshing blast from the past.

"Not at all, I can fully understand the need to make sure your family is safe. Please ask anything you like." He seemed genuine and Jasper nodded slightly in the affirmative, confirming his honesty.

"You never fully explained your eyes. At the very least they should be golden. It makes me uncomfortable to not have that kind or reassurance in your story." It was a leading question, meant to make him talk. I needed to know how much he was willing to share.

"As I said before, it is difficult to fully explain. My gifts allow me to alter my body to a minor extent. This lets me hide for the most part. But if I used my powers directly my eyes shift to their natural color, which is golden like yours. I could show you if you like." I nodded with curiosity and a little apprehension. I glanced and Jasper and he nodded, at the corners of his eyes was a touch of excitement as well. "I will warn you it is a bit unusual, I've been called the many things in the past but the nickname "Dragon" was always the most appropriate." He extended his hand and faced his palm so it was upright.

I waited for a couple of seconds until I could see his skin ripple from the center of his palm. Suddenly a flash of light jumped from the center and erupted into a golf ball sized sphere of flame that levitated a few inches from his skin. I gasped in shock; I had never seen such an awesome display of power before. I was so captivated by his ability that for a moment I forgot to look at his eyes. Remembering myself I glanced at them and felt a wave of relief to see two faintly glowing orbs of pure gold. He smiled and extinguished the flame by closing his hand.

"I hope that was sufficient. It is difficult to maintain a sphere that small. I tend to only use it when absolutely necessary." He waited to garner my reaction; the lack of explanation was a touch frustrating, but it was sufficient for now. Even showing me this power was a sign of trust. So I smiled at him, which he returned gladly and returned his hand to his side.

"I'm lost for words; you must feel very isolated to have such a gift." His face hardened a little, and then he forced a polite smile. "I'm sorry to bring up painful things. I am simply trying to get to know you. I suppose I should start again." I grinned at him playfully, "So, what are your obsessions and hobbies?" I had lost my train of thought, and it no longer seemed relevant. If this stranger wanted to hurt us I couldn't see how we could possibly put up a fight. All that was left was to find out who he was, and maybe gain a little understanding into his nature.

"I love the little things. And I guess my obsession is with the written word. Ever since the first hand-written page I have tried to read everything I can. I spend a great deal of time alone as you might have guessed, so I've amassed a substantial library. I also love movies, it may seem passé, but to see such wonders of imagination moving with such fluidity still boggles my mind, even after close to a century. I've spent time learning nearly every trade and profession, although I haven't kept up on all the advancements." He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Medicine is one field that I've always kept on top of. To heal, especially with my enhanced senses makes it easy to blend in with nearly any culture. I've been everything from a blacksmith to a professor, a scientist and a musician. I speak hundreds of languages, a good deal of which have fallen completely out of use. It is easy to learn when you have unlimited time." He smiled winningly and then his expression faltered slightly as he realized how much he had just revealed. I glanced at Jasper and he nodded again, his mouth upturned in a slight grin. But his eyes were bright with concern and a touch of fear. Max stopped his stutter of nerves which only lasted a fraction of a second, and then he launched into his continued laundry list of talents.

"I am still a little out of touch with technology though, especially the computer age. I've tried to understand the inner workings of computers. But I lost interest in the college courses I attempted. There was far too much tedium and nonsensical rules. I do love to fly however, airplanes are a passion of mine, and so are cars. I was bound to my feet or horseback for countless years, and the convenience of being able to traverse a continent in only a few hours is such a luxury, albeit a ironic one. I am saddened by the shrinking of the world through the use of technology. It makes some things feel insignificant that shouldn't be." I felt reassured, he held as many interests as the rest of us did. I also hoped that he would be willing to teach us some of his knowledge's.

"That definitely answers my question. I completely understand some of the issues with modern life. I'm still adjusting to my cell phone. Rosalie is a car aficionado; she would love to hear you feel the same as her. Edward is our musical prodigy and Bella loves to read. Emmett is into a bunch of things, but tends to prefer sports and outdoor recreation. Alice is ever changing, and her interests change as often as her clothes, but she has always been into fashion and interior design. Jasper well he tends to find interest in what we're doing. He adapts to the situation and finds joy in many things. Personally I'm in to arts and architecture, and of course Carlisle is a doctor. But we have all learned as much as we could in a wide variety of subjects. None of us are content to do only one thing." He smiled broadly at me. He seemed to be pleased to hear we were as well rounded as we were.

"As I've said before, you have quite a family. It will be a pleasure getting to know them. But not tonight, I have a lot of work to do on my new house, and I feel that I've already trespassed on your hospitality long enough for one evening. I will return though, if you don't mind." I nodded before speaking, and gave him a welcoming smile.

"Please, you're welcome anytime." He shook my hand this time and made his way towards the front door.

"Thank you for your hospitality, I will definitely be calling on your family again Carlisle." With a firm hand shake he slipped out the front door. Carlisle cleared his throat and we call convened in the living room to discuss our new friend.

"I suppose we should discuss our new... friend. Anyone have any comments or concerns?" Rosalie nodded and sighed slightly.

"He could pose a threat to us, if the Volturi are looking for him. I know that's reaching but it is a possibility, he said he didn't share their values. Also there is something about him I just don't trust, and he is definitely hiding something huge from us." Rose spoke clearly and earnestly, clearly trying not to sound biased.

"Perhaps, but the Volturi don't just hunt down our kind unless they have violated their laws. You are right that he is hiding something from us, but he as much as admitted that he was. So I think he is being evasive for a legitimate reason. Trust isn't just a one way street, we have to earn his trust as well." My love looked thoughtful, and was willing to give Max the benefit of the doubt as usual, and I was inclined to agree.

"Not to change the subject but I have a question for Bella." Alice interrupted. Bella smiled and nodded at her. "So do you think you are strong enough to resist humans?"

"I think so; I was able to stop hunting earlier... I'm honestly not sure." Bella seemed doubtful, and caution was always a good idea but I could see a plan forming in Alice's head. I had a distinct feeling that she was going to do something that would test Bella's resistance.

"Good, I was just curious. Please back to the debate about our new friend. Personally I think we should trust him. I don't get killer vibes from him, more cautious and unsure vibes. Okay that's a bit silly, but you get what I mean." Alice stuck out her tongue and everyone chuckled softly.

"Yeah I think he could be cool, that and I'm pretty sure I could take him." Emmett replied enthusiastically, and as always thinking of a fight first. Rose just rolled her eyes at him, but there was an underlying concern I hadn't seen on her face before. She pulled Emmett into her subtly and wrapped a possessive arm around his waist.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Emmett, and I don't think he is an enemy." Carlisle furrowed his brow.

"You couldn't take him Emmett. He is well beyond any of us." Jasper broke his taciturn silence and stood up, everyone immediately turned to listen. "His posture, his bearing, everything about him screams experience. He has been a solider, and has seen many battles, of that I can be absolutely sure. I have no doubt that he is an ancient, which means that none of us pose even a moderate threat to him. Although,I could be wrong, I have been before." Jasper squeezed Alice's hand and returned to his seat.

"Not often." Alice whispered. Then she scrunched up her nose, her traditional expression when she was trying to conjure up a vision.

"Any more debate at this point would be redundant. Until we know more about him I think we should remain cautious but receptive. Is everyone in agreement?" Carlisle said, putting a stop to the conversation. Everyone nodded in acceptance, even Rose didn't object although it was apparent that she wanted too. "Good lets table this conversation for another day. On another note, Bella could I speak to you in private?" Bella nodded and the two of them began to walk off. Carlisle motioned for me to come and I quickly caught up to his side. We walked with our natural speed which left the house far behind us in a few seconds.

"I wanted to explain myself and my actions if I could. There are a lot of things that must not make a tremendous amount of sense to you." Bella nodded once then looked at Carlisle to continue. "One thing to know about our kind is the fact that we don't change easily. Perhaps it is a part of our physicality, but once something affects us that forces a change, we seldom reverse from that fundamental shift in our personality. The day Edward met you he began to change. We could all see it, and there was no mistaking his growing love for you. His choice not to save you that day has been torturing him for months. I could see his fate every time you came over to the house, the way he looked at you left no doubt in my mind. You see, he is convinced we are soulless creatures, and it is likely he would never have chosen this life for you voluntarily. He would've watched over you, maybe from a far until the day of your death. At that point he would have probably found a way to end his own." Carlisle looked at his new daughter with a fathers concern and intensity, and I could tell that he truly loved her, as much as I already felt.

"I think I knew that." Bella gasped and shut her eyes tightly. I could see conflict and intense emotion in her face, but she didn't say a word. Finally after a few seconds of emotional upheaval she relaxed and looked back at the house now several hundred meters away. I tentatively placed a hand next to hers in an invitation to hold mine if she needed to. Instantly she intertwined her fingers through mine. My heart suddenly snapped awake with contentment, Bella had accepted me as her mother.


	11. Chapter 11

**Eleven: Unexpected**

_(Angela POV)_

The twins were nagging at me, which was driving me into a state of utter frustration. Not that they were solely to blame, I chalked up a major part of my dower mood to the lack of information about Bella. I hated keeping secrets, but it wasn't that I couldn't talk to anyone about it. The person I would normally tell and never be able hide anything from anyway, was the object of the secret. I needed a shoulder to cry on, and Bella was the only one I had to depend on. Now I probably couldn't rely on her anymore, and the only other friends I had were vampires. Well except for Tyler, who wouldn't even return my phone calls.

I took a moment and calmed myself, and then tended to the boys. Isaac had just gotten into the fridge when my cell-phone rang. In the same second my mother started down the stairs looking a little frantic, it was her urgent face. Alice's ringtone played six notes before I flipped open the phone and whispered into it.

"You're a little early, I'll call you right back." Alice sighed grumpily on the other side of the call. Her impatience was so evident that I could almost hear her tapping her foot. I closed my phone and looked up at mom. "Where are you headed to?" I asked unsure I really wanted the answer. She looked at me impatiently, and her foot began a tap like a piano player trying to find their rhythm after missing a keystroke. I almost snorted at the juxtaposition between my mother and Alice. Then I frowned as she sighed deeply, it had not been a good day for her so far, and I was about to make it worse.

"The mall then grocery shopping, I have to pick something up for your father. So I'm gonna be gone for a few hours. You headed out sweetie?" It sounded like the last thing she wanted to know, but I had to tell her.

"Yeah, I promised to spend some time with Alice today. In fact that was just her. She called to tell me she is on her way to pick me up." I hoped I was able to lie effectively since I still wasn't very good at it. She looked more then a little frustrated, but she didn't say anything. Losing my best friend did have a couple of perks, and one of them was the ability to act a little bit selfishly when the need arose. I did feel guilty making her take the twins, but I had to know what was going on with Bella.

"Okay, could you help me get Issac and Joshua in the car?" I threw the dish rag I had been using to clean up the kitchen after the twins into the sink, and then helped her corral them, get their shoes on, and then lead them out and strap them in to mom's SUV. She tried to smile at me as they pulled away, just as my phone rang again.

"You could've gone in your room. I mean you are a teenage girl." Alice snapped at me.

"I've never done it before, why should I start now." I felt myself shrug, and then shook my head at the stupidity of shrugging into a phone.

"Because you just lost your best friend, that kind of loss changes people." She sighed then continued, "Of course I'm just giving you a hard time, don't change, we love you just the way are." I blushed, then scowled. She just quoted Billy Joel to me. I debated for a fraction of a second to call her on it, but decided it wasn't worth it.

"So I have a bit of news, Bella is like a freak." She was in gab mode, which meant I would only catch every other word. Still there was no mistaking what she just said, and I became instantly worried.

"What do you mean?" Concern punctuated my voice, I felt the need to get into my car and speed over to the Cullen's house.

"She resisted the pull of human blood on her first hunt. I mean total freak, and completely amazing. But... I think that means it's safe for you to visit. Well at least a supervised one. So I'm already on my way I should be there in a few minutes." I felt my face brighten, and my heart race. I was finally going to get to see Bella walk. After months of watching her suffer with disability and pain, she was finally free again.

"Okay I'll be ready." I ran to the front door and tried to wait patiently. Alice's shiny car pulled up less than a minute later. I grabbed my keys, locked up, and ran outside. Alice gave me a slight hug and pulled out quickly. It took a moment to notice one we were going, but somehow Alice had shifted moods in the short time between our call and her pulling up. The fifteen minute drive suddenly seemed slow, because Alice wasn't her usual talkative self.

"Is there anything wrong?" I looked at her, knowing that concern written clearly all over my face.

"Plenty, but nothing you should worry about. I'm just thinking a lot lately. How are the twins?" She seemed distant and detached, which was so unlike her that it had me really worried.

"You're avoiding the subject, but the twins are fine. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. How long has it been since we visited?" Changing the subject back to the issue at hand, and I had to know what as going on. Was it Bella, or something else that was troubling her?

"A couple months, Edward never really felt comfortable with the three of you at our house, and he really never liked Tyler, which I suppose is a bit of an understatement." Alice cracked a smile and I couldn't agree more that it was an understatement. What was really funny was the fact that Tyler was always jittery when we visited the Cullen's. He could never understand why Bella and I didn't seem affected by the "creepy" factor they gave off. Neither of us ever felt threatened or crept out by the Cullen's and we were pretty rough with Tyler for making an issue of it. The irony, was he was right the whole time. I looked at Alice and smiled softly.

"Yeah I could always tell, but I thought it was just jealousy, Not that Edward ever had to worry about Bella's affections." I glanced over with a slight chuckle on my lips and gasped to see Alice stone faced and immobile. "Alice! Alice, are you okay?!"

We were speeding too fast down a narrow two lane road outside of Forks proper. At Alice's preferred speed we were only five minutes from her house, but it was still miles away. The path before us was a twisted and dangerous section of road that wound around a nature reserve, which caused there to be some pretty serious blind turns. It was also a busy route since it was a major thoroughfare to Port Angeles and then beyond to Seattle. I wasn't sure if she was having a seizure or something even more serious, I had no idea what affected vampires.

Then her hands fell from the wheel as the black top began to curve to the right. Immediately we started to drift to the left. Only a hundred or so meters ahead of us, was one of the nastiest blind turns in the entire area. It was the obligatory "Dead Man's Turn" which of course my mother hated when I drove through it. More accidents and fatalities occurred here then anywhere else within a thirty mile radius. I grabbed a hold of the steering wheel and attempted to put us back into the right lane. Then suddenly she tensed up and her foot pressed hard against the accelerator. After a second of pressure the metal began to buckle under the force she exerted, and then it broke off at the gas pedal. I fought hard against the wheel which threatened to rip loose from my grip, and I frantically yelled at Alice to take her foot off the accelerator. I glanced at the speedometer, and noticed our speed was still increasing steadily.

I started screaming her name and unhooked my seat-belt so I could reach under her with my leg to try and force her foot off the gas pedal. But it was like trying to move an imbedded rock, she wouldn't budge. I looked up at the turn approaching fast, and swerved fully into the left lane to get a wider arc on the turn. It was the only way we would be able to take it at the speeds we were moving. Then I heard a large air horn, the kind attached to semi-trucks. The warning was typical around this turn as a courtesy to avoid head on accidents.

A head on collision with a semi-truck or a sideways flip into the forest, where the roof would likely get impacted by trees, neither was an appealing option, but they were the only two that seemed available. So I searched my brain for anything else. Like a flash of lightening it occurred to me that Alice might be able to survive a fall from a moving vehicle. So I unhooked her seat belt and opened the driver side door. Then I scooted to the far side of the car and pushed against her with all my strength. It took almost all my effort, but I managed to roll her out the door. She hung for a millisecond, then she fell like a rag doll to the ground, bouncing several times before coming to a stop on the side of the road. I jumped into the driver's seat and slammed my foot on the brake. Unfortunately, the damage to the accelerator had locked it into place so the brakes were sluggish to react.

The speed and the distance to the truck was too short, there was nothing I could do to completely stop the forward momentum. I took a deep breath and reached for the seat belt in a vain attempt to mitigate the damage to myself. But the belt was locked because of the pressure on the brakes. I closed my eyes, and flashed upon my life up until this point. I felt almost euphoric, as I realized this was the moment of my death.

Then something hit the right side of the car, I looked over to see a pair of unusual mismatched eyes peering into the passenger's side of the car. The stranger motioned for me to cover my face so I looked away from the window. I heard a shattering noise and a gentle pair of hands grabbed a hold of my right arm. Then he pulled me out of the car. I felt like I was in free fall for a second before we hit the pavement. Once we stopped moving I looked up quickly to see Alice's beautiful car crash head first into the truck. The driver of the truck was obviously slamming on his breaks in a panic, but it was far too late.

The crash was spectacular, the metal twisted in a deafening roar, and the two vehicles slid forward several hundred feet before sputtering to a stop. The stranger pressed his hand to my neck, and then patted me down quickly. I looked up at him with curiosity and gratitude. He just smiled at me briefly before he was up and running towards the truck before I could even thank him. He yanked the door off its hinges like it was made of cardboard and dragged the unconscious man out carefully. He pulled him off to the side of the road and checked his vitals like a doctor. Then sighed deeply and looked back at me. I checked myself and felt a surge of relief to know that all my bones were intact. He moved over to me quickly and offered me a hand to help me stand.

"You must be Angela." I blinked at him, feeling confused. "You're the only human I know the Cullen's have any contact with. I'm Max, and it's nice to put a face to the name." It made sense if he was a friend of the Cullen's.

"Alice!" I turned and looked around for her. She was laying face up a hundred feet back. I ran over to her as fast as my legs would carry me. I felt a little shaky, but I shook it off as adrenaline. Alice's clothes were a little tattered, but she seemed physically fine, except she was staring blankly up into the air.

"You're in shock Angela, I should get you home." Concern laced his words. I looked into his earnest eyes and noticed the beauty in his face. My savior was gorgeous. But I had to disagree with him; I needed to get Alice home.

"No take me to the Cullen's. I need to take Alice home." I set my tone as determined, but it came out a little broken. I felt my legs give out from under me and gasped as I felt solid hands catching me effortlessly.

"Very well, but I need to clean this up first. Give me a few minutes then I'll get both of you home." I nodded not sure what he meant. Then he set me down carefully and then turned towards the wreckage. As I blinked he was next to the hulk of twisted metal. He took a long moment and stared at it, before he wrapped his hands around the frame. Then he proceeded to pull the broken car from the front of the truck. I was surprised how little damage there was to the truck. Then he picked up the car, held it above his head, and ran into the woods.

Less than a minute later he was back and began to pick up the remaining pieces of the car. Moving with a speed that I could barely see he cleared the road in seconds. Then he jumped into the truck and pulled it off to the shoulder. After the truck was in place he set the air brake and turned off the engine. Then he retrieved the driver and placed him gently in the driver's seat. Then he bent the hinges of the door back into place and closed it quietly. As he walked back to me I felt awe on my face, but I struggled to repress it. When he was a couple feet away he looked down at me and held out a hand.

"Let's get her home. Will you at least let me be your feet for a little while?" I just nodded at him and grabbed his hand tightly. In a fluid motion he brought me up and onto his back. Then he pulled Alice into his arms, being careful to cradle her comfortably. "Hold on tight, and you might want to close your eyes." I just shook my head. He smirked, and then he launched us into the wilderness.


	12. Chapter 12

**Twelve: Awakening**

_(Edward POV)_

Alice's mind was chaotic, and it drowned out everything else as Max brought her in and set her down gently on the living room couch. Angela stood perfectly still in the doorway unsure of whether to cross the threshold. Bella stared at her for several seconds before standing and walking towards her. Jasper noticed her movement and intercepted her midway. I was torn, my sister was broken and my lover was moving towards her best friend with unpredictable intent.

I felt confident that Jasper could restrain Bella if the need arose, and felt even better as Emmett joined him. I turned towards the virtual stranger standing over Alice with question in my eyes. He creased his brow and grimaced slightly.

"I don't know what's wrong with her, since I don't have your talent for seeing into minds." I blinked at him, unsure how he could possibly know about my gift, but I shook my head and leaned down and kissed Alice on the forehead. The contact clarified her vision and it forced me to my knees.

At first it was cloudy, and then I realized it was a part of the vision. Thick purple smoke filled the air, and as I pushed my way through it I heard the sounds of broken voices distorted in pain. I recognized my own voice among them. The smoke began to clear in my immediate area and a scene out of a nightmare revealed itself. Alice was standing at the edge of the scene, staring at it with horror on her face.

"Alice?" She turned towards me in a flash and her face quickly changed to one of shock.

"Edward? How are you here?" Her voice was broken and shaky, and then I looked into her terrified eyes, they were filled with sorrow and a touch of madness.

"I have no idea, this has never happened before." My own voice was quiet, the words felt hollow like an echo reflected off of a thousand surfaces before reaching my ears.

"What's happening? Is this real?" She moved over to me and buried her face into my chest. The physical contact set me on edge, her touch was like a live wire I could almost feel her power radiating beneath her skin.

"This is a vision, I think. Max just brought you into the house in a state of catatonia, I just leaned in to kiss you on the forehead, and then I was here." She stared at me with slight disbelief. Then she shook her head in protest.

"But I've never had a vision like this before. It's so vivid, and physical. I've never been able to walk around and interact before." She didn't believe me, I frowned. That was the answer. She couldn't break out of this because she thought it was real.

"Alice, you have to accept that this is just a vision. I think if you don't you'll be stuck here." I tried to convince her with my eyes, pleading with her to understand.

"God I want this to be just a vision, the things I've seen. How can I be sure you're not the vision, haunting me?" She stared at me looking for something.

"Haunting you? Did I die? I thought I heard my voice before." I was confused, none of this made sense.

"Just an echo, all of our voices are echoing. I can't take it for much longer." She said with barely restrained panic.

"Were all dead?" I responded with a whisper, Bella's face was suddenly all I could see. I blinked and looked back at Alce. Her eyes were getting wider and wilder. The insanity that plagued her youth was threatening to reassert itself. I needed to get her out of here before she broke forever.

"Not all, just most of us. It was because so many things came at us all at once. The wolves and an army of newborns, it was chaos. There was so much death. Then the Volturi were there, watching with joy in their eyes. They took Bella, Angela, and Max. We were right to trust him, he protected us with every ounce of strength he had. For a while it looked like we would pull through, then Jasper and Emmett fell. I watched in horror as my love was torn apart, I can't get the image out of my mind. It was… it was." The madness in her twisted her face into a mask of pain. She no longer looked like my Alice. She was becoming a stranger that was losing touch with reality.

"Shhh, this really is just a vision Alice. We can prevent this I promise. You just need you to wake up. You just need to warn us." I worked hard to keep my voice steady and reassuring, but it was difficult. My entire body was shaking with rage and fear.

"Edward, help me!" Bella's voice carried to me from across the smoky field. I turned instinctively, my feet almost moved towards the voice without my consent. I roared in pain and looked back at Alice.

"Alice we need you! Wake up! This isn't real!" The shouts that came out of me didn't sound like my voice. I couldn't hold back anymore, my emotions were too close to the surface and Bella's voice pushed me past my ability to think rationally. Alice looked at me with indignation and annoyance, she finally looked normal.

"Okay I get it, just a sec… this is a really nasty one." She scrunched her face up in concentration. It was such a normal expression for her that my nerves began to settle. Somehow I was standing next to her again, even though I had just been running towards Bella's voice a split second earlier. The landscape had the quality of a dream... an unpredictable and unstable one at that.

"No, really? I couldn't tell." I felt indignant, she seemed to be taking it very lightly now.

"No need to be snippy! I have no idea how you're here, but, if you could just stop what you're doing, I might be able to pull out of this." Her annoyance was almost comical, if we weren't surrounded by death I might've laughed.

"I'll try." I pushed out of her mind, and blocked out her thoughts. It worked and the world returned instantly. I was sitting on the floor with my head collapsed on the couch. I felt a soft pair of familiar arms were wrapped around my torso. Bella's floral scent surrounded me and I breathed it in to steady myself. "Bella, my love." I turned and looked into her worried eyes, then kissed her with longing. Nothing would take her from me. I would do anything to prevent that nightmare from happening. She leaned into my lips and pressed against me tightly.

"You two almost done, I have a lot to tell everyone?" Alice's voice was the only thing that could've broken the moment for me. I pulled away reluctantly, and peered up at her. The mirthful annoyance was all but gone, replaced once again by pain and worry again.

"Of course." I looked at Bella again, her mouth was pouting slightly at the break in contact. I smiled at her and kissed her again briefly before I pushed us up off of the floor.

"What did you see Alice?" Carlisle's voice made me jump slightly, I had momentarily forgotten that the rest of the family was watching.

"Something horrible is coming, and we have to do something to prevent it. We have to somehow make peace with the wolves; it's the only thing that I can think of." Alice looked to Jasper and held out her hand for him. "I saw a great battle, we all fought desperately. But we were far outnumbered, attacked by two different groups at the same time, but I couldn't see how it started, or why. Also the vampires that attacked us were all newborns. None of it made any sense. There was just chaos death.

"And the Volturi were there. They did nothing to stop it, and did nothing to help either. They just stood in silence and waited for the aftermath to claim the survivors. They wanted Bella and Max, they took you too Angela." Alice glanced at Angela and I followed her gaze. Angela looked serene and deep in thought. Then she simply nodded once in understanding.

"What I don't understand is how Edward was there." I looked back at Alice as she continued.

"Edward survived?" Carlisle questioned.

"No, I mean how he entered my vision." Alice shook her head in disagreement. Then her eyes widened and her eyebrows creased in confusion.

"I don't know. I was just there. I had no control over it." I shrugged in bewilderment. I was as confused about the whole situation as was everyone else.

"That was me, I do apologize. But I felt it was necessary to help bring her out of the vision." Max's deep voice quieted the room into utter silence. "I can amplify the gifts of those around me. It's another one of my abilities. Edward is capable of far more then he currently utilizes. In fact you all are very powerful, each in your own way." He looked around the room at everyone's reactions. No one seemed to have taken it the same way. Carlisle looked thoughtful, and Esme was concerned. Emmett smiled in fascination, and Rosalie scowled in indignation. Angela looked at the floor, her shoulders were slumped and her face looked a little terrified. Jasper kept his face neutral as always, but in his eyes was more than a little bit of curious. Alice just frowned at him, I could tell it was information she didn't want to hear. Bella looked surprised, but she wasn't looking at Max. Her eyes were fixed on mine, I thought about what my own feelings. I felt incredulous, and unsure of what he wanted from me.

"If my visions will be like that from now on, tell me how to shut them off. I don't want them anymore." Alice said clearly upset. Then she blinked and shot a look at Angela again. "Oh god, Angela I'm so sorry!" Alice jumped up and dashed across the room. She hugged Angela tightly for a second then pulled away. Angela just smiled at her kindly, forgiveness already on her face.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You couldn't have anticipated what happened, even if you do see the future." A playful smirk lightened her features, and her kind eyes reassured the nearly panicked Alice that there was no reason to be upset.

"I'm still sorry." Alice lowered her head in dejection.

"Apology accepted. Can we get on with figuring out how to not die? I can't think of it, it's too hard to even contemplate." Angela's words were confident but solemn. She seemed resigned to something I couldn't put my finger on. "I do have one question before we continue; in this vision was I human?" Alice looked up at her, and seemed to be searching her memories for the answer.

"No. You were one of us." Alice eventually answered in a tiny whisper. Angela just nodded again then looked into each of our faces for a moment. Her eyes lingered on Max's face the longest.

"So be it. Can someone take me home? If I have to leave my family soon I want to spend as much time as I can with them." Esme nodded and walked over to Angela. I could see the look on her face; she wanted Angela to be one of us. I suddenly needed to talk to her alone, so I interjected.

"No I'll take her. I need to think things out anyway." Esme nodded at me and stopped in mid-step. I stood and squeezed Bella's hand for a moment.

"I'll call you Ang. I promise." Bella seemed to be apologizing for something. I wondered what I missed while I was lost in Alice's vision. Angela just smiled at her and walked over to give her a hug. Bella closed her eyes and hugged her gently. A look of contentment crossed her face. Then Angela let go reluctantly, and Bella turned to me. "You better come back soon." Then she turned to Angela, "both of you." Her plea was mostly playful, but it was pointed. Still it was just a request. Then it occurred to me that leaving was just as difficult for her as it was for me.

"I'll be back soon I promise." I kissed her then led Angela to my Volvo. As we left the house I slowed down to the speed limit. I attempted to listen into to her thoughts, and realized I couldn't hear anything. Then it occurred to me I hadn't heard any of their thoughts since I came out of Alice's vision. I slammed on the brakes and spun around.

"Edward what's wrong?" Angela was worried, but I didn't answer. I pressed the accelerator nearly into the floorboard and made it back to the house in seconds. I flew out of the car and made a bee-line towards Max. He stood casually as got within inches of his face.

"What did you do to me!?" I shouted at him hotly.


	13. Chapter 13

**Thirteen: The lonely God**

_(Angela POV)_

Edward looked livid, yet somewhere deep in his eyes there was something almost thankful. He hovered less than three inches from Max's face waiting for a response to his accusation. Max didn't look intimidated, he almost looked amused.

"I pushed you beyond your limited capacity. Your mind has shut down to grow, your power will return soon enough. I was afraid this might happen, but there are no absolutes when it comes to our kind." There was no anger, just truth in Max's words and expression. I quickly glanced to see Edward's reaction and I could see a quiet resignation descend over his face.

"I don't know if I should hit you or thank you. If you say it's going to return I want to believe you, but this has been a part of me for so long I feel awkward without it." Edward still looked angry, and somehow almost thankful. I had never thought about the idea of hearing all thoughts all the time. To finally have silence after as many years as Edward had been alive... it must be scary and freeing.

"Enjoy it while it lasts." I interjected. Edward shot me a kind look, and then turned towards Max again.

"You've been shaking things up, changing our perceptions, and now you've pushed my powers beyond my own limitations. What do you want from us?" Edward gave him time to react, and Max took it. He spent a barely a second in thought, and I wondered how long that felt like to him, for me it felt almost instantaneous.

"I honestly don't know." He paused and looked around for a moment before continuing. "If you'll excuse me, I think I should leave now." Max headed past Edward, a second of tension passed between them as Max waited for Edward to block him. Edward didn't budge. A slight change in posture and shoulder position let me know that Max was relieved he didn't have to resort to conflict. As he passed by me he gave me a soft smile, his beautiful unusual eyes peered into mine greedily. It was almost as if he was trying to look straight into my soul. I felt naked and vulnerable, and a great desire to look away overcame me, but I resisted the urge and didn't break eye contact.

"Could I speak to you Max?" I touched his sleeve lightly as he was walking by me. He nodded and motioned towards outside. I followed him, and we began to walk down the driveway.

"So what did you want to talk about?" He seemed curious, and if I my imagination wasn't playing tricks on me, a little nervous.

"What do you want from them? I can't watch them get hurt. I know it'll sound strange but I can't let you be a damaging influence, because they are far too good for that. Bella and Alice are like sisters to me. So you better spill it, what are your intentions?" I started strong, but I felt my confidence slipping as I babbled at him.

"A human defending a family a vampires. I never thought I would... you are a puzzling creature. I can see why they like you. Honestly, I'm in uncharted territory here. A thousand years ago I was in a coven, and I was their leader. I'm not sure how to exist in a family like this one, especially with danger and death on the horizon. I am loath to say that I don't even know if my presence here is the danger to them that Alice foresaw, but I feel the need to protect them, I want them to survive. I just don't know what to do." He seemed so vulnerable. This seemingly ancient monster was looking to me for advice. I felt insignificant, and I couldn't believe that anything I could say would hold the weight of experience and significance needed for this kind of question.

"I'm stealing liberally from T.V. here, but just because you've seen the future doesn't mean you can't change it. If you alter your course because it might cause an outcome, it could cause something worse to happen. Follow your instincts, and listen to your heart and you should find the right answer." I almost cringed. The words felt hollow and trite, I was inadequate for this task and I knew it. He looked at me with gentle eyes, but it was probably a mask to hide his true opinion.

"I'm not sure which to follow, my instincts or my heart, since they're pulling me in opposite directions." He wasn't laughing and he seemed to take my words seriously. I paused to process that for a moment. Then responded with what felt like the right answer.

"Then follow the one that feels more important to you. What are you really asking yourself? Can you answer that?" I looked at him with as much compassion as I could muster. He seemed to be struggling, and I didn't want to appear flippant, or oblivious to his feelings.

"It's a matter of survival, versus something unknown and potentially frightening. I guess there isn't a choice. I've been alive and alone for so long that it feels natural for me. Yet, I would be a fool to pass up this life. I don't know if I deserve it though, I've caused so much suffering, and I've destroyed so many lives. I don't know if I'm even worthy to be a part of theirs, let alone a member of their family. God, I'm almost whining, please ignore my prattle. This isn't something you should concern yourself with." His face got hard and distant. All the emotion that was bubbling to the surface disappeared abruptly.

"Don't shut off, you were getting somewhere. Look do you want to spend eternity as a lonely god, or a lifetime with love and family. If chaos and death are the price for love then personally I would gladly pay it, but what I think isn't important. I'm just a scared little girl consorting with mythical monsters." I chuckled a little bit, and more than a little bit of fear came though the laugh. My train of thought brought back the very real vision that Alice had of me, and it frightened me to no end to think I would soon no longer be a member of the human race. It was both exhilarating and an utterly brain numbing concept to think about. Then a stray thought occurred to me, how was he there. How was he in the right place at the right time to save my life? I almost shuddered at the implications, and I was alone with him and the Cullen's were still all in the house so I wasn't sure I should ask. Yet it was too strange a coincidence not to investigate, and suddenly I had to know, I hated my brain sometimes.

"I do have a question for you. It's something that just occurred to me." Max nodded. He had been listening to me patiently with no obvious need to insert his opinion on my thoughts. I didn't want to know what he thought of my ramblings. "I'll try not to make this seem like an accusation... So how were you there, how did you just show up to rescue me?"

He didn't look upset or caught of guard, he seemed almost as if he was expecting the question. "Please don't take this as anything more than it is. I was following you; or rather I was following Alice. I felt something in her last vision. It was too strong, my presence seems to causing their powers to go haywire and I was worried that she might have an accident."

"Oh." Was all I could think of to reply. He smiled and looked thoughtful.

"As for the whole mythical monsters, we're only mythical because the world doesn't want to see us. We've been there throughout the ages, hiding in the shadows, and humanity has noticed us. They just refuse to admit we're real. Also, you hardly seem like a scared little girl to me." He looked down at the gravel loosely scattered across the ground and kicked a large stone deep into the forest. The kick was impressive enough that I didn't hear the impact of the rock.

"I... ah... thank you. I think. You know, vampires sticking to the shadows is probably for the best. I mean I don't think people would handle it well. Individuals can be rational, but groups tend to be ruled by the mob mentality. Destroy first ask questions later. As a species that thinks it's at the top of the food chain, how would we react to the humbling knowledge that we have a natural predator? I know I'm still a little bit in shock, and I've had a fairly good experience going in. Then there are the ones who would endlessly hound you guys to be changed, and the zealots that would try to hunt you. There are too many unknowns to simply tell the world you're here. Wait, that wasn't the topic we were talking about, I got a little distracted there… sorry." I felt silly, abdicating for the rights of a vampire to remain hidden from the world. It was such a silly thing to contemplate, except that if Alice was right I would be a vampire soon.

How could I leave my family to suffer my death? There were no words to explain the guilt I would feel over that. Unless I was dying, unless I was mortally injured and one of them rescued me. I grimaced at the morbidity of that train of thought, though I didn't have to think about it for long. Max's started to speak again almost immediately.

"Don't be sorry, it is a very valid point of view. I've watched people for longer than I care to remember, and you're absolutely right. As individual's I respect and value the human race. As a species... there are things that I've seen committed for reasons more flimsy than impulse that would set your soul on fire with rage." He looked up in the sky, with a bit of a long distant stare, as if he were trying to suppress memories he didn't want to be reliving. I tentatively reached out to touch his shoulder, and his face shifted slightly and he closed his eyes in what looked like contentment.

"You have no idea what that means to me." He said with a smile. I withdrew my hand wondering if I stepped over a line I didn't mean to cross. He glanced at me then, and then looked down. "I've been alone for a long time. I haven't been touched in such a casual way in even longer." He seemed almost embarrassed by the confession. It made me want to hug him, although that would be a bridge too far. I could see something deep inside of him that wanted to come out, to be alive again.

"I don't know if you want to talk to a human about your troubles, but if you ever need someone... I could be there for you." I couldn't quite look at him as I spoke, I wasn't used to putting myself out there like that.

"Thank you." Was his simple reply. Yet the emotion he somehow conveyed in those two words was enough. It forced me to look him in the eyes, and I found myself smiling. My heart began to beat a little faster, and I knew I was headed down a dangerous path. Yet I wasn't sure it mattered, if I was going to become a monster, I could do a heck of a lot worse than Max as a partner. Still I didn't need him yet, perhaps in the future. So raced to find something that might push him away at least in the short term. The question popped into my head pretty quickly.

"So which is it, are you manipulating their powers or are you accidentally shooting them full of nitrous." I said a little too flippantly, but held my expression as serious. He examined me for a moment, as if he had never thought of his power in quite that manner before. The effect the question seemed to have on him though wasn't what I'd hoped it would be. After a moment of thought he shook his head, but didn't seem upset in the slightest.

"I'll completely admit that I've tapped into Edward's power, and pushed him beyond his personal limitations, but I haven't touched Jasper, Alice, or Bella's power I swear." I nodded because he seemed genuine, and his honesty disarmed my suspicions. Then I gasped as I processed what he had said; Bella had a power? Just as I was about to question him further on the bombshell he just dropped, the door to the front of the house burst open and the entire household sprinted across the short distance to where we were standing.

"What do you mean I have a power?" Bella asked with curiosity and fear punctuating every syllable.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**: Sorry for the break in posting, I needed a couple of days to work on other stuff. Also I need to apologize for the first half of this chapter since it is all recap. It should make the timeline of the last couple of chapters make more sense though, even if there is quite a bit of repeated dialogue. I did try to add a bit of personal reflection on Bella's part to make the repeated stuff interesting. Skip down to the bold if you don't want to read Bella's take on recent events.

* * *

**Fourteen: Powers**

_(Bella POV)_

There she was, standing there in the doorway. My best friend, the person I trusted more than anyone, even Edward, and she was there. "Angela." I heard myself say as I ran over to her unthinking.

I got within five feet and her scent hit me like an anvil. My thirst screamed at me, my desire to rip into her was overwhelming, but I couldn't hurt her. I froze in a struggle between my instincts and my control. In the end, my control won. I looked around feeling ashamed, and sighed thankfully that Jasper and Emmett were close enough to stop me if things went south.

"Sorry about that." I said as I closed those final steps to pull her into a hug, careful to be super gentle with her.

"Bella. You're walking." She said into my ear, and I wanted to squeeze her tighter, but I was afraid of hurting her. "Something's wrong with Edward." She said after a moment, I immediately pulled away and looked to see what she meant. He was slumped over the couch with Alice.

I eyed Max suspiciously as I went to my lover, and pulled him into my arms. He looked so helpless, and it dawned on me that this might be the only time I would ever see him like this, for all intents and purposes asleep.

I lost track of time, carelessly brushing his hair from his face before he suddenly said, "Bella, my love." I turned and looked down into his eyes. Then he leaned up to kiss me passionately. I could almost feel his longing. I didn't want to stop, but I heard Alice wake up and I knew we couldn't stay that way for much longer

"You two almost done, I have a lot to tell everyone?" Alice's said somewhat impatiently. We both looked at her at the same time, and I noticed how different she looked. Most of her youthful joy seemed to have vanished, replaced by fear and worry.

"Of course." Edward said in acknowledgement to Alice's urgency, then he looked at Me again. I felt myself pout a little at the break in our kiss, but he responded sweetly by kissing me again and lifting us up from the floor.

"What did you see Alice?" Carlisle's voice made Edward jump slightly as if he'd forgot we were surrounded by the family.

"Something horrible is coming, and we have to do something to prevent it. We have to somehow make peace with the wolves; it's the only thing that I can think of." Alice looked to Jasper and held out her hand for him. "I saw a great battle, we all fought desperately. But we were far outnumbered, attacked by two different groups at the same time, but I couldn't see how it started, or why. Also the vampires that attacked us were all newborns. None of it made any sense. There was just chaos death."

"And the Volturi were there. They did nothing to stop it, and did nothing to help either. They just stood in silence and waited for the aftermath to claim the survivors. They wanted Bella and Max, they took you too Angela." I was already staring at Angela who looked resigned to her fate. I'd seen that look on her face before, whenever she had to do something she really didn't want to do. Carlisle and Edward gave her what she wanted, a place in my life, but I wondered what the cost of that choice was going to be. How long did we have before we were forced to turn her, and would she ever forgive me if that took her away from her family?

"What I don't understand is how Edward was there." Edward looked at Alice with a touch of mutual confusion, but nodded his head in agreement.

"Edward survived?" Carlisle spoke up in confusion.

"No, I mean how he entered my vision." Alice shook her head at the question, her eyes were wide and slightly panicked. Her own confusion was evident by the way she frowned.

"I don't know. I was just there. I had no control over it." Edward said lost in his own bewilderment, shrugging helplessly unable to provide any answers.

"That was me, I do apologize. But I felt it was necessary to help bring her out of the vision." Max's deep voice quieted the room into utter silence. "I can amplify the gifts of those around me. It's another one of my abilities. Edward is capable of far more then he currently utilizes. In fact you all are very powerful, each in your own way." As he spoke I watched Edward, his fear and anger suppressed by a more logical need for an explanation. I was worried about him.

"If my visions will be like that from now on, tell me how to shut them off. I don't want them anymore." Alice said with a touch of hostility, she didn't want any part of that future, and it hurt her just thinking about it. Then she blinked and shot a look towards Angela again. "Oh god, Angela I'm so sorry!" Alice jumped up and dashed across the room. She hugged Angela tightly for a second then pulled away. Angela just smiled at her kindly, forgiveness already on her face.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You couldn't have anticipated what happened, even if you do see the future." A playful smirk lightened her features, and her kind eyes reassured the nearly panicked Alice that there was no reason to be upset.

"I'm still sorry." Alice lowered her head in dejection.

"Apology accepted. Can we get on with figuring out how to not die? I can't think of it, it's too hard to even contemplate." Angela spoke solemnly and with a touch of careful confidence. Still I could hear the hurt in her voice, as the truth of her eventual fate sunk in. "I do have one question before we continue; in this vision was I human?" Alice looked up at her, and seemed to be searching her memories for the answer.

"No. You were one of us." Alice eventually answered in a tiny whisper. Angela just nodded, her careful projection of strength was a mask. I knew she was in pain, even as she looked at all of us in an attempt to reassure us of her love. I had no doubt that she accepted us, and cared about us, but I knew her family meant everything to her. Still, I noticed that she lingered on Max's face the longest. I hoped she would be careful with him, he was still a stranger... and a dangerous one at that.

"So be it. Can someone take me home? If I have to leave my family soon, I want to spend as much time as I can with them." Esme nodded and walked over to Angela, staring at her with the kind of motherly concern and love I craved from her myself.

"No I'll take her. I need to think things out anyway." Edward said suddenly, although Esme relented to his request and stopped with a touch of disappointment on her face. Then he squeezed my hand for a moment. I let go of him and walked towards her.

"I'll call you Ang. I promise." I wanted her to know I didn't need her to leave her world. That we could just talk and be friends long distance, but it didn't come out that way. It sounded more like I was apologizing for not calling earlier. I pulled her into a tight hug, more confidant in my own strength this time. Then I turned to Edward, "You better come back soon." and then glanced at Angela to make sure she knew I didn't want her to go away, "both of you."

"I'll be back soon I promise." He kissed me with some reassurance, but that didn't make it feel any better being parted from him. Still it was obvious he wanted to talk to Angela alone.

Less then five minutes later, before I really had a chance to interrogate Max, Edward was in Max's face shouting with more anger than I'd ever seen him display before. "What did you do to me!?"

Edward looked livid, yet somewhere deep in his eyes there was something almost thankful. He hovered less than three inches from Max's face waiting for a response to his accusation. Max didn't look intimidated, he almost looked amused.

"I pushed you beyond your limited capacity. Your mind has shut down to grow, your power will return soon enough. I was afraid this might happen, but there are no absolutes when it comes to our kind." There was no anger, just truth in Max's words and expression. I quickly glanced to see Edward's reaction and I could see a quiet acceptance descend over his face.

"I don't know if I should hit you or thank you. If you say it's going to return, I want to believe you, but this has been a part of me for so long I feel awkward without it." Edward still looked angry, and somehow almost thankful. I had never thought about the idea of hearing all thoughts all the time. To finally have silence after as many years as Edward had been alive... it must be scary yet oddly freeing.

"Enjoy it while it lasts." Angela interjected trying to be helpful, and I noticed that Edward gave her a kind look in return before he then turned towards Max again.

"You've been shaking things up, changing our perceptions, and now you've pushed my powers beyond my own limitations. What do you want from us?" Edward said still trying to control his anger. He paused, more to ground his emotions than to give Max a chance to explain.

"I honestly don't know." He paused and looked around for a moment before continuing. "If you'll excuse me, I think I should leave now." Max said looking clearly upset. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about him, so I wasn't sure if I should care about his feelings. Yet it was obvious the whole situation was not something he'd planned.

**Edward** relaxed visibly as Max moved out of close physical proximity. I waited until he was almost gone before moving towards Edward. Then Angela asked to go with him. I almost shouted "No!" But I kept my mouth shut. I thought about eavesdropping, but couldn't betray Angela's trust like that. Edward still looked upset, and his face was tight and emotionless, but his eyes were deeply thoughtful.

"Edward, I don't think he meant to do this. He seems genuine about his intentions, even I don't agree with his methods. If you get a few hours peace after a century I think its worth a little bit of vulnerability." I tried to be the glass is half full person, but it didn't really feel right. Although Edward seemed to take my advice to heart.

"Maybe, it isn't losing my power that I have a problem with. It's his open declaration that he's messed with me, and tapped into my gift somehow." He pulled me into his arms as he spoke and began to switch between playing with a strand of my hair and caressing the lines of my face. His touch was electric, and it set me into a heightened state of awareness.

Everything seemed enhanced, sights, sounds, smells. It was as if the world had opened up to me, yet all I could see or care about was Edward. He was troubled, and feeling vulnerable. I wanted to comfort him, so I pulled us on to the couch, sat on his lap, and buried my head in his chest. Then I started tracing the lines of his muscles, in return he rested his chin on my head and continued to play with my hair. It was the happiest I could remember being in a long while.

"Can we stay like this forever?" I mumbled softly.

"Yes, as a long as you continue doing whatever it is your doing." He seemed content and sighed slightly as my hand jumped from his stomach to his right arm.

"You calmed down quickly." I said with drowsy contentment.

"You have an intoxicating effect on me; it's hard to think around you sometimes." I could feel his smirk on top of my head, and it made me smile.

Only a couple of minutes had passed but I idly wondered if Angela was okay, I knew someone was listening to their conversation. Probably Edward was passively at the very least. I felt a little guilty for not watching over my best friend, but I wasn't too worried. Even if she was bitten, he wouldn't have time to drain her before we stopped him. The only thing he could do was run away with her, and I would personally hunt him to the ends of the earth if he did. Still curiosity needed to be satisfied, so I extended my hearing to catch a snippet of their conversation.

"But I haven't touched Jasper, Alice, or Bella's power I swear." I blinked and snapped my head towards the front door. In less than a second I was out of the house, I sprinted with all my speed to the spot they had stopped at. Then I had to take a moment to stop myself from yelling.

"What do you mean I have a power?" Confusion and curiosity invaded every single letter of my words. Powers were big question marks, things that only a select few possessed. Max creased his eyebrows in minor confusion, and then nodded at me.

"You're a reflexive or a shield if you want to be generic." He seemed casual now, as if the information was self explanatory.

"I need a little bit more. What can I do?" He seemed to think about this for a moment, as he did I felt Edward's fingers intertwine through mine. I clasped his hand tightly and pressed into him for support.

"I'm not entirely sure to what degree you can use your gift, but you can definitely block mental abilities reflexively. I wonder if with training, you might be able to expand on that." He took a second to think about how to continue, then he begun again. "In simple terms you could theoretically block, deflect, absorb, redirect, and negate mental abilities. Blocking refers to your latent ability to simply stop anything that tries to influence your mind. Deflecting is the ability to bounce a mental ability back towards its origin, a compound of that would be to redirect it in any direction you desire, such as another opponent. Absorption is an advanced ability that you may or may not be able to learn. It literally allows you to mimic the power that is being used on you. And negating a mental ability prevents the wielder from being able to use it at all. It is quite a powerful gift, I'm a little jealous of it honestly."

I blinked in surprise at information download. I couldn't quite understand everything he said, but it made a strange sort of sense. Then he turned to the rest of the crowd, everyone was looking between us with a strange mix of expressions, but no one seemed shocked or upset. Edward kissed my forehead and smoothed out my hair.

"I've always told said you were special. Do you believe me now?" Edward interjected softly to me before Max could speak again.

"I wasn't going to say this, it's one of my secrets. In fact it is the secret the Volturi have wanted to know for centuries." He sighed and looked around at all of us. "If we weren't in danger, if your precognitive hadn't seen the destruction coming down on all of our heads I might not be telling you this... You see, the truth is, all of us have gifts. Most are just unable to develop it beyond a latent ability. All of you have very unique and special talents. I would love to have the opportunity to work with you all to uncover them.

"That simple truth would give the Volturi everything they need and desire." Carlisle shivered slightly at the thought.

"If they knew, what I do about our kind they would be ruling the world, and I don't mean from the shadows." There was no evasion or heightened drama, just a casual exposition of information, with a touch of justified fear. I looked to the rest of the family, this time there was shock and confusion, and in a couple of cases a little bit of anger, but none of it was directed towards Max.

"I'm sorry, but could you run me over with that again?" Emmett spoke up, he seemed excited.

"I said that you all have gifts. Whether or not you will ever be able to access them is something we would have to explore." He replied with earnestness. Emmett almost jumped up for joy. He did shout, "WOOHOO!" Rosalie rolled her eyes but looked at Max again.

"Really, you can hardly expect me to believe that you mean all of us have powers, even me?" Rosalie spoke up. Max looked at her for a moment, and then chuckled to himself for a couple of seconds.

"I'm not sure if it's what you want to hear, but in short, you could inspire and dominate people into to doing your will. It is yours to learn eventually, but you might be able to fine tune it to control and mesmerize others through manipulation and subterfuge. Maybe even to the point where you could fool a crowd of people into thinking you were a giant dragon, or make them believe you weren't even there. You could potentially inspire someone to change their way of life or alter a fundamental ideal, or control them to commit suicide. It's a very subtle gift, and takes a long time to refine, but it's incredibly useful." Rosalie looked at him like he had lobsters crawling out of his ears. Carlisle broke the short silence by clearing his throat.

"As much as I would love to hear a rundown or our gifts, I feel that given tonight's events now would not be the best time. Max would you mind spending a few hours away so that we can have a family discussion?" Max shrugged.

"Not at all. I'll see you all later." Without another word he was gone. I looked after him for a moment then turned towards Carlisle.

"Let's all adjourn to the house. We have much to discuss." Carlisle pulled Esme to him and wrapped an arm around her waist, and then began to head in.

"Um, I'm not a member of your family." Angela spoke up meekly.

"Yes you are dear." Esme just held out a hand for her. Angela looked at the hand for a long moment; she seemed to be considering the symbol involved in taking the offer. Then she closed her eyes and took a step forward clasping Esme's hand tightly. A small tear formed in her left eye, it caught the light from the un-obscured moon just right to glisten like a diamond. The salty smell ignited my throat, but I pushed the impulse aside. There was no way I would give into the monster at the expense of my best-friend's life. I ran over to her, dragging Edward with me. With my free hand I grabbed a hold of Angela's free one, and in response she smiled at me broadly.

"I guess this means you've accepted Alice's vision?" I asked mildly. Angela looked at me with love and just a touch of sadness.

"I've accepted that I love every one of you, and I could think of a much worse fate then spending eternity with you all. If that means giving up my life and becoming a vampire, so be it. I'll have to find a way to do it and still keep my parents from pain. I won't subject them to dealing with my death." She realized a fraction of a second too late what those words meant to me. Her eyes twisted in sympathy, but I shoved down the impulse to cry. Losing Charlie and Renee was hard, making them believe I was dead was far worse. I couldn't imagine what they were going through. Neither of them dealt with emotions very well.

I lingered on that pain for a moment then squeezed Angela's hand gently to reassure her that no harm was done. She winced slightly then smiled at me. Then we all made our way into the house to deal with the ramifications of Max's arrival in our lives.


End file.
